John Singleton is set to direct the Tupac biopic.

The filmmaker - who worked with the legendary musician on 'Poetic Justice' in 1993 - has stepped into the role following the departure of Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day'), because he had trouble casting the role of the late rapper.

Tupac Shakur was one of the biggest stars of the 90s, creating albums including 'The Don Killuminati' and 'All Eyez on Me' and some credible acting roles before he was shot in a Drive By killing in 1996, in what remains an unsolved case.

John - whose current film 'Abduction' starring Taylor Lautner is still in cinemas - has yet to sign up for the project, but should he agree, he will be working with a script which has gone through a number of revisions, most recently by Brian Tucker.

Earlier this year 20-year-old star Soulja Boy - real name DeAndre Cortez Way - revealed he had been approached to play the part.

He admitted: "I got an email from William Morris Agency - that's my agency that I'm with - they reached out to me to play the part.

"I'm just still thinking about it right now."