Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead in 1996, aged 25

Live 2 Tell is a script Shakur wrote in 1995 about an inner-city black youth who becomes a drug kingpin and later renounces crime.

Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur, will produce the film, which has not yet been cast. Production is due to begin in March.

The rapper was shot dead in Las Vegas in 1996. His murder remains unsolved.

Movie roles

Shakur, who was 25 when he died, originally wrote Live 2 Tell for himself to star in.

In addition to his rap career, Shakur appeared in movies Poetic Justice, Above the Rim and Gridlock'd.

Last year Afeni Shakur released the US documentary Tupac: Resurrection, which used footage of the rapper to follow his life.

Live 2 Tell will follow the success of Eminem's 2002 movie debut 8 Mile, which told of a rapper's rise to stardom and won an Oscar for its theme song Lose Yourself.