A couple years have passed since Bill Condon first took interest in making a Richard Pryor biopic with star Marlon Wayans. The project was then pushed aside when the Dreamgirls director made a justifiable choice to helm the final two Twilight movies. In 2011, the film was rumored to have picked up writer Brad Caleb Kane, and that, as they say, was that. But fans of the comedy legend hoping for a depiction shouldn’t give up just yet.
It’s thanks to Forest Whitaker, who will follow up producing the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner Fruitvale by helping to bring Pryor’s life to the big screen. The actor plans to develop a new script with the late comedian’s widow, Jennifer Pryor, and will produce the film under his company, Significant Productions, along with Nina Yang-Bongiovi. [Deadline]
In 1986, the troubled comedian examined his own life with the semi-autobiographical Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, but efforts to make a straightforward biopic were stalled. Over the course of two decades, before Condon even stepped in, the concept was passed over by Martin Scorsese, Showtime, and Kasi Lemmons, while a roster of potential lead actors — including Eddie Murphy, Eddie Griffin, and Mike Epps — came and went. Now that the film is in Whitaker’s capable hands, the question of who will play Pryor still remains. If everything goes smoothly, it shouldn’t be long before we find out.
Does Whitaker’s involvement in the Pryor biopic make you optimistic?