John Singleton was originally supposed to direct the film, but the studio and Singleton couldn't agree on how Tupac was to be portrayed in the film. Singleton eventually left the project completely but has since stated that he still hoped to make his own film about Tupac on his own terms some day. He was also the only director to have been given
Afeni Shakur's full blessing to tell her son's story. Afeni Shakur Davis died on 2 May 2016, aged 69 from a heart attack, thirteen months before the release of the film. Singleton died on 28 April 2019, meaning he never got his wish to make another film about the life of Tupac Shakur.
