Tupac Almost Appeared in ‘Star Wars’

Yes. According to Rick Clifford, the chief engineer for Death Row Records, 'Pac was allegedly up for the role of Mace Windu in the rebooted Star Wars trilogy. You may have heard that the rapper died before filming; the part then went to Samuel L. Jackson.

It seems like Tupac and Episode One exist in completely different times and areas—but I suppose the connection isn't that difficult to make. Filming began in early 1997. Roles went to the film's actors a year earlier, and Shakur was killed in late '96.

At the time, Tupac had seven feature films under the belt (including undeniably great turns in Above the Rim and Juice), with three on the way. His acting career was on the rise. If he had lived and starred in a multi-billion dollar trilogy, would he even be rapping at all now? We'll of course never know.

[H/T: Smoking Section]