Lee Daniels is back on board for the Richard Pryor biopic.
The 56-year-old filmmaker previously had to step down from the directorial chair after he was unable to fit the movie into his hectic shooting schedule, but it now seems he’s made time as the project is back on track with the ‘Empire’ creator at the helm.
The biopic – entitled ‘Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said’ – will detail how the star broke into the business in the early ’60s and had become a top stand-up comedian by the early ’70s. He won five Grammy awards for his comedy albums and starred in several concert films before his untimely death in 2005 after suffering a heart attack.
Entertainment mogul Jay Z will be adding to his film credits with the project, as he’s signed up to produce.
Producer Harvey Weinstein announced on Thursday (06.10.16) that both Lee and Jay would be involved in the making of the movie.
He said in a press conference: "I can tell you that Jay is going to produce the Richard Pryor movie with Lee Daniels directing. Each time, I think you’ll see these projects be something that hit the cultural zeitgeist. One day we’ll find something really commercial now to do. But not now."
The ‘Empire State of Mind’ musician – who joined Weinstein in the conference – added: "You don’t get more commercial [than Pryor]. His story is an American story. You’ll understand how many lives he’s touched, from every single comedian to rappers like Biggie Smalls."
The cast for the movie had previously been announced as Mike Epps as Pryor, Oprah Winfrey as his grandmother, Eddie Murphy as his father, and Kate Hudson as Pryor’s widow Jennifer Lee Pryor.
A start date for production is set at early 2017, but no release date has been confirmed.
Lee Daniels back on board for Richard Pryor biopic
