24 Frames reports that Fuqua has dropped out of the Tupac film for unknown reasons, and is instead circling Southpaw, the boxing drama starring Eminem that we first wrote about back in December. This is strange because Fuqua had been in the midst of a very public national casting call for the Tupac role. Finding someone to match his charisma and volatile personality couldn't have been easy. Not even Anthony Mackie could pull it off in Notorious
As for Southpaw, the film puts Marshall Mathers squarely back into Detroit, where instead of bustin' a phat rhyme he throws heavy blows as a lefty welterweight boxer. Of course it won't be easy as he makes his way to a championship bout, suffering personal tragedies and such along the way. The story was dreamed up and written by Kurt Sutter(Sons of Anarchy
No official deal is in place for Fuqua or Eminem as of yet, but it seems like a perfect fit for both. Fuqua has shot a number of his films in some of the toughest neighborhoods in the country, so Detroit will probably feel like home for him. This would be Eminem's first starring role since his acclaimed debut in 8 Mile
Hey, Detroit looks great in movies, but ultimately it's a pretty sh*t town. David Zucker knew it, which is why he always made jokes like this about it...