Earlier in the year it was reported that Eddie Murphy was in talks to play Richard Pryor in a biopic of the legendary comedian, provisionally called Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said. However it now appears Eddie won’t be starring in the movie, as EW is reporting that Marlon Wayans is in advanced discussions to take over the role.
The project has also moved studios. When originally announced it was at Paramount, but now it’s being made through Sony and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions. It was at the former studio that Murphy dropped out, apparently over disagreements about his contract. You’d have thought Murphy would have done whatever it takes to get the role, as not only has he previously talked about what a massive inspiration Pryor was to him as a young comedian, but it’s also a movie that could have saved his career from disappearing into a mire of ever-worsening rubbish.
However we shouldn’t rule out Marlon Wayans, as while he’s best known for being funny (or at least trying to be), he also gave a superb dramatic turn in 1999’s Requiem For A Dream. Apparently the turning point for him to get the role was a screen test in which he ‘transformed into Pryor’.
The Pryor biopic has been written and will be directed by BIll Condon, who previously directed Murphy in Dreamgirls but hasn’t worked with Wayans before. With Pryor’s wife producing, it’s promised the film will cover both the comedian’s raucous comedy and the darker periods, including his drug use and depression.