Morgan Creek Prods. is holding an online casting call for an unknown actor to play the role of enigmatic rapper and personality, Tupac Shakur. The biopic will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Brooklyn's Finest) and exec produced by Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur. If you think you can draw on the spirit of Tupac, go to the In Search of Tupac website where all the details are included. Audition reels are being accepted now until the end of April.

This is an ingenous move by Morgan Creek as there isn't a known actor, apologies to Anthony Mackie who played Tupac in Notorious, that looks like or has the oomph factor to take on the role. It's not a guarantee that there is anyone that's perfect for the role, but just like Tupac, taking a revolutionary tactic that goes against the grain is an excellent and appropriate start for this project. It's something that would definitely be Tupac-approved.

Having Afeni Shakur, who has been very protective of her son's brand and image, was a de facto situation that should make the biopic that much more authentic, especially if they delve into his early life and have the audience understand why Tupac was the way he was. Afeni Shakur was a political activist and member of the Black Panthers and did what many others in the music industry did not do, which was to take Death Row Records and its owner, Suge Knight. She won her case in court to own all of Tupac's unreleased material, which she has successfully released posthumously.

It's been said that if you asked 20 people what Tupac was like, you would get 20 different answers. Tupac was a very strong presence in hip hop who towed the line releasing violent and misogynistic songs, but also tender hip hop ballads such as "Dear Mama" and "Keep Ya Head Up." Sometimes boisterous, sometimes introspective, Tupac could probably never be fully understand. However, he had an easy versatility about him and the actor that wins the role will need that too.