For the past few years there has been a legal battle raging between Afeni Shakur-Davis, Tupac Shakur’s mother, and Morgan Creek, a production company that wanted to shoot a Antoine Fuqua–directed version of her son’s life story. Now, thanks to “an undisclosed flat fee, a chunk of any profits, and an executive producer credit,” the notoriously protective Shakur-Davis has decided that she agrees with Fuquas’ “vision of the film,” which will reportedly “center on the last day of Tupac’s life, flashing back to show the final four years leading up to it.” Casting will being immediately, and word is that they’re looking for an unknown to play the late rapper. Anyone want to place bets as to whether this will turn out better than Notorious? [via Vulture]
1. Susan Boyle’s now infamous TV audition — her performance of “I Dreamed A Dream” on Britain’s Got Talent — was auto-tuned. [via 9 News]
2. For reasons unknown Mission: Impossible 4 will not be called Mission: Impossible 4. And it won’t pick up where Mission: Impossible 3 ended. [via The Playlist]
3. Oscar-nominated screenwriters Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson (Ali, Nixon) have been hired to write Antoine Fuqua’s forthcoming Tupac Shakur biopic. [via Vulture]
4. Pussycat Dolls ringleader Nicole Scherzinger is set to guest star on the upcoming season of How I Met Your Mother as part of a plotline involving Robin Sparkles. [via MTV]
5. If Conan O’Brien wins an Emmy on Sunday, he’s legally prohibited from saying whatever he wants about his former bosses. Here is what he can say.
Bonus link: YouTube has launched a full-length movie section
Last year Hamlet 2, sold to Focus Features for a cool $10 million making it one of the biggest deals ever to go down at Sundance. The year before Little Miss Sunshine went to Fox Searchlight for the same hefty price. The first film, most of you probably didn’t see, but it was kind of funny — just not $10 million funny. (This was our favorite part.) The latter won two Academy Awards and that year’s Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature. Go figure.
So what films are poised to land this year’s double-digit deal given the current economy? Variety has a few starry-eyed ideas about it here; we provide a cheat sheet for the buzziest flicks after the jump.
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