“The reason I am not making this picture is because the people involved aren’t really respectful of the legacy of Tupac Amaru Shakur,” wrote Singleton, who directed Shakur in Poetic Justice.

He also addressed “‘Pac’s real fans” and said that he was still planning on making a movie about the rapper. “It doesn’t matter what they do, mine will be better,” he wrote. “Tupac was much more than a hip-hop artist; he was a black man guided by his passions. Of most importance was his love of black people and culture…something the people involved in this movie know nothing about…real talk! How you gonna make a movie about a man when you suing his mother to get the rights to tell his story?!

“They have no true love for ‘Pac so this movie will not be made with love,” he continued. “And that’s why my ass isn’t involved! If Tupac knew what was going on he’d ride on all these fools and take it to the streets…but I won’t do that. I’ll just make my own project.”

Franklin’s arrival to the project, which will be made by Morgan Creek Productions, was announced Thursday. Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, is an executive producer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.