Nevermind, Lee Daniels Will Direct That Richard Pryor Biopic After All
Hey, remember back in May, when director Lee Daniels dropped out of the long (long, long, long)-developing Richard Pryor biopic? Okay, just forget that ever happened because Daniels is returning to the project, and this time he’s bringing Jay Z with him — as a producer. With production projected to begin in early 2017, it looks like the movie about the late, iconic comedian might finally make it to the big screen this time.
When Daniels dropped out of Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? back in May due to scheduling conflicts, The Weinstein Company (oh, you didn’t think this wouldn’t be an awards contender, did you?) postponed the film. With no suitable replacement in the interim, it seems that Daniels was able to work out his scheduling issues, as Variety reports that the director has returned to helm the long-developing project.
Jay Z has also come aboard to produce the biopic, which is based on a screenplay by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Disney’s upcoming Beauty and the Beast). Following an exhaustive casting search, Mike Epps signed on to play the title role of the late comedian in 2014 and remains attached to the project. As previously announced, the cast of Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? also includes Oprah Winfrey as Pryor’s grandmother and Kate Hudson as his widow, Jennifer Lee Pryor. Last fall, Tracy Morgan was reportedly in talks to play legendary comedian Redd Foxx.