In the event of a zombie apocalypse, Michonne from The Walking Dead is right at the top of the list for potential friend, bodyguard, and all-around best shot at survival. The combat-hardened Katana-wielding Walker-blocker from Georgia has become a beacon of badassery, which is in large part thanks to Danai Gurira, the actor who brings Michonne to life in the television series. Now, Gurira, who is most well-known for her character on the hit AMC show, will take on her first major role in a feature film with her part as Afeni Shakur, Tupac Shakur’s mom, in the upcoming biopic All Eyez on Me.
Although All Eyez on Me reportedly had a tumultuous beginning (including multiple director replacements as well as a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought against the production company behind the film), the movie is now definitely happening, and is currently “underway” in Atlanta. It is helmed by Benny Boom (who’s responsible for some of the biggest music videos in recent history as well as the action comedy Next Day Air) and stars Demetrius Shipp, Jr. as the legendary rapper.
With Afeni Shakur, Gurira should be able to pull quite a bit of inspiration from her Walking Dead character, as Tupac’s mom seems to be a powerful no-nonsense force of nature herself. She’s a member of the Black Panthers and a vigorous political activist, and even served as her own defense attorney when she was accused of being associated with bombings attributed to the Panthers. She’s also an executive producer on All Eyez on Me, and the keeper of her son’s estate.
Gurira should have no problem living up to the part of Afeni however, as she not only plays a badass on television, but is also an established font of creativity who’s written multiple plays, including Familiar and Eclipsed—the latter of which currently stars Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Maz Kanata in The Force Awakens) at New York’s esteemed Public Theater (it’s where Hamilton got its start) and will make the move to Broadway in March.
You can also check out some of the first behind-the-scenes images from All Eyez on Me, which were posted to Shipp’s Instagram account, below:
What do you think about Danai Gurira playing Afeni Shakur in the upcoming Tupac biopic? Let us know in the comments section below!
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HT: Deadline
Image: AMC
