Tupac Shakur’s Estate Sued Over Film Rights

It looks like even the deceased aren't exempt from getting sued. Late rapper Tupac Shakur, along with his mother's company Amaru Entertainment, are being sued over the film rights to the late rapper's life.

According to the suit, production company Morgan Creek claims that Shakur's mother's company Amaru Entertainment pulled out of an agreement for the company to produce the biopic.

Morgan Creek alleges that they were unhappy with Amaru's "refusal to honor and perform a contract of a production of the film based on the life of Tupac Shakur." The company is seeking financial damages.

Skip Miller, lawyer for Amaru Entertainment, denies that such an agreement was made. "They have scared away Paramount, Fox and others, and we are going to sue them and recover millions (in damages)," he said.

In a statement released by Amaru Entertainment, the company insists that they "sought to find the best partner who would be true to Tupac's vision and bring his unique story to life on the big screen." The statement goes on to express that Amaru Entertainment did not have an exclusive agreement with Morgan Creek.

"We have been in discussions and negotiations with several major studios and production companies, including Morgan Creek Productions. However, at no time did we have an agreement with MorganCreek," the statement reads. "Sadly, MorganCreek decided to take advantage of this situation and attempt to frustrate our project by interfering with our business relationships.

Founded in 1997, Amaru Entertainment retains the rights to several of the late rapper's music. More than 10 years after his death, Shakur remains one of the most successful hip-hop artists in the world, and has sold more albums than any other rapper globally. Because Shakur was a public figure, permission from Amaru isn't needed to make a film about him. An agreement would however need to be reached in order to license works owned by Amaru such as the rapper's music catalogue.

At press time the production company had no comment on the suit.