Richard Pryor Biopic- Eddie Murphy, Mike Epps, Oprah Winfrey, and Kate Hudson
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The Weinstein Company is ready to greenlight its Richard Pryor biopic, and my, have Harvey Weinstein and Lee Daniels put together a terrific cast. The new additions: Oprah Winfrey will play Pryor’s grandmother, who ran a brothel and raised the iconic comic there; Eddie Murphy will play Pryor’s father, Leroy “Buck Carter” Pryor. Kate Hudson is set to play Pryor’s widow, Jennifer Lee Pryor. And Mike Epps is now locked to play Pryor, a role coveted by a lot of actors. Daniels, who worked with Weinstein and Winfrey on the blockbuster Lee Daniels’ The Butler, will start production in March, after wrapping up the second season of his hit Fox series Empire.
The script is by Bill Condon and Daniels’ Empire collaborator Danny Strong, and Bruce Cohen and Jennifer Lee Pryor are deeply involved in the process as producers. The emergence of Epps was not unexpected, but it is hard not to like his backstory on this one. Deadline revealed in 2014 that Epps had emerged as the likely choice after a killer audition, one that was done for Daniels when Epps was competing against a crop of actors that included Michael B. Jordan, Marlon Wayans and Nick Cannon. Epps and Wayans each won the role in previous incarnations of the film, with Wayans set in the version at Sony when Condon was directing and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison was producing.
Lee Daniels' projects have been mixed lately, but it'll be interesting to see how this will turn out.
The Paperboy and Shadowboxer are the only two films of his that left me cold. But, I am a little concerned about the decision to cast Mike Epps in the lead role. And, Kate Hudson?
The Paperboy and Shadowboxer are the only two films of his that left me cold. But, I am a little concerned about the decision to cast Mike Epps in the lead role. And, Kate Hudson?
Yeah, I'm not a Mike Epps fan. I even think Marlon Wayans would have been a better choice, he was fantastic in Requiem for a Dream. I do like Eddie Murphy's casting though.
Yeah, I'm not a Mike Epps fan. I even think Marlon Wayans would have been a better choice, he was fantastic in Requiem for a Dream. I do like Eddie Murphy's casting though.
Well, I don't know about casting Marlon Wayans in the lead role either. Eddie Murphy's casting was a given considering the two were close friends. Oprah is a great actress when given the right direction (she was fantastic in Selma). But, Kate Hudson is a huge misstep. She hasn't given a "good" performance since Almost Famous in 2000.
I'm a huge fan of Pryor - saw him live in Philadelphia about 40 years ago. But the people mentioned in regards to this proposed flick - especially Oprah Winfrey and Lee Daniels - leave me cold and with no desire to see it.
Happy to see Eddie Murphy in this. They were close, Pryor and Murphy, so I expect a few things to be tweaked here and there and with Mike Epps there might be a lot of tweaking because I never knew Epps to be a serious actor, I only know of his comedies.
Happy to see Eddie Murphy in this. They were close, Pryor and Murphy, so I expect a few things to be tweaked here and there and with Mike Epps there might be a lot of tweaking because I never knew Epps to be a serious actor, I only know of his comedies.
Actually Epps has aplayed a couple of serious parts and actually did pretty good but I just think Marlon Wayans would be a better selection. However I think Epps will pull it off or atleast I hope. Got Em!!
He's really good in this clip. I really think he should have played him. I honestly really like Wayans when he's doing good stuff. I think he showed a lot of potential in Requiem for a Dream, and I like some of his comedy (Scary Movie, Don't Be a Menace to South Central). He really could have showed his range in this.
^ I agree man, I'd love to see Marlon take a more serious turn dramatically. He's a brilliant dude, and I don't think he gets neaarly enough credit for that. That clip was captivating as all hell and cements just how much talent the dude truly has. Mike Epps must've really blown it away to beat him for the role.
Epps has stated that half of the film will be reenactments of Pryor's standup, which is absurd. Easy pass. Pryor was too complex a man for Daniels to tackle, anyway.
I agree. Pryor's life may be the perfect medium for Daniels to showcase a bit of over the top though. However, its Daniels, so I'm pessimistic until proven otherwise
Richard Pryor Movie Auction Won By MGM; ‘Black-ish’ Creator Kenya Barris To Make Directorial Debut
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MGM won a heated film rights auction and will partner with black-ish creator Kenya Barris for a movie on iconic comedian Richard Pryor. Barris will make his directorial debut on a film he will write. The producers are Barris and his Khalabo Ink Society, Jennifer Lee Pryor and her Tarnished Angel and Tory Metzger for Levantine Films. Adam Rosenberg and Levantine’s Renee Witt will serve as executive producers.
This comes after the studio acquired rights for a biopic on Sammy Davis Jr.
Hollywood has long been fixated in turning Pryor’s life into a narrative film, which the comic kind of did after lighting himself on fire in a freebasing accident. He includes that in Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling back in 1986. The most serious attempt to mount a movie came in 2016, when The Weinstein Company and Pryor’s widow Jennifer teamed with director Lee Daniels on a script by Bill Condon and Danny Strong that was going to star Mike Epps as Pryor, with Oprah Winfrey playing Pryor’s grandmother, who ran a brothel and raised the iconic comic there; Eddie Murphy as Pryor’s father, Leroy “Buck Carter” Pryor and Kate Hudson to play Pryor’s widow, Jennifer. The film never made it to the start line.
Pryor’s incredible life deserves a film. MGM describes him as: a groundbreaking, once-in-a-lifetime talent, Richard Pryor was a masterful storyteller, a multi-talented entertainer, a comic of acerbic wit, and a survivor with no self-pity. With his raw, honest and deeply personal approach to comedy, Pryor transformed the entire art form through his work, inspiring and influencing the generations of artists to come.
Said Barris in a statement: “The way Pryor did what he did — with truth and specificity that was somehow self-aware and self-deprecating, and said with an unmatched level of vulnerability – that was the power and impact of his work,” said Barris. “Pryor had a voice that was distinctly his and, in many ways, comedy since then has been derivative of what he created. To me, this is a film about that voice, the journey that shaped it, and what it took for it to come to be.”
Said Jennifer Lee Pryor, “Having had a front row seat to much of Richard’s life, I am excited that the mystery of his genius is finally going to be explored and Kenya Barris is the perfect person to do it. Richard and Kenya are creative brothers.”
Said Michael De Luca, MGM Film Group Chairman and Pamela Abdy, MGM Film Group President, “The NY Times has said of Richard Pryor, he was an ‘iconoclastic standup comedian who transcended barriers of race and brought a biting, irreverent humor into America’s living rooms, movie houses, clubs and concert halls.’ We couldn’t agree more. Along with our partners Kenya, Tory, Jennifer and Adam, we are incredibly excited to share Richard’s extraordinary life with audiences the world over.”
Pryor was the first ever recipient of the prestigious annual Mark Twain Humor Prize, and arguably the greatest stand up comic of all time. He starred in nearly 50 films, and the series The Richard Pryor Show and Pryor’s Place. He wrote for shows including Sanford and Son, The Flip Wilson Show and two Lily Tomlin specials, one of which earned him both an Emmy and a WGA Award. His first screenwriting credit Blazing Saddles, with Mel Brooks, earned him the WGA Award. His stand-up has been captured in four feature films, Live and Smokin’, Richard Pryor Live in Concert, Richard Pryor Live on Sunset Strip, and Here and Now (the latter also his 1982 directorial debut). His numerous recordings have earned him two platinum albums, five golds, and five Grammy’s.
Barris is represented by CAA, Artists First, and attorney Gregg Gellman. Pryor and Levantine are represented by Hogan Lovells.
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Richard Pryor Biopic- Eddie Murphy, Mike Epps, Oprah Winfrey, and Kate Hudson
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