Via Eurweb.com:

Two Oscar-nominated screenwriters have been hired to write director Antoine Fuqua’s biopic on Tupac Shakur.

Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson, both of whom were involved in the writing of 2001′s “Ali,” have come on board the project that is set to begin shooting in mid-November for a 2011 release, reports New York Magazine’s Vulture blog.

The film has yet to cast a lead actor for the role of Tupac.

Rivele told Vulture he knew little about the rapper – who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996 – until he began to research.

“I knew nothing about Shakur. But it became clear he was essentially a 19th century romantic poet who found himself in the 21st century,” Rivele said. “He was obviously very angry, and had been subjected to a great deal of violence in the home, in the streets and in prison. But he was just beginning to shed that anger and look for a purer voice.”

Wilkinson confirmed the script would focus on the last day of his life, with flashbacks to his final four years