MGM Wins Richard Pryor Biopic, Kenya Barris Will Write and Direct

A big screen feature about the life of one of comedy’s greatest legends is getting closer to becoming a reality

In a heated auction, MGM has emerged victorious and will team up with “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris for a biopic about the life of Richard Pryor. Barris will write and direct the picture.

Considered one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time, if not the greatest, Pryor broke down many barriers in terms of race and content in stand-up comedy. Known for being frank, vulgar and raw in his performance, he helped evolve the art of stand-up by never sugarcoating his stories and his influence can still be seen with today’s comics. Pryor even had a successful career in movies, co-writing the screenplay for “Blazing Saddles” and starring in box office hits like “Silver Streak” and “Stir Crazy”.

In the years following his death in 2005, Hollywood has tried to find a way to bring this legend’s story to life. The closest came in 2016 when “Precious” director Lee Daniels was attached to helm a biopic that was to be released by The Weinstein Company. Mike Epps was attached to play Pryor while Oprah Winfrey, Eddie Murphy and Kate Hudson were to portray members of his family who helped impact his life. Most likely due to the Harvey Weinstein scandal, however, the project never came to fruition. Now, with Barris on board, there is a strong chance that this will finally see the light of day.

It is unknown if any of the cast from Daniels’ failed attempt will be in this new iteration but it is likely that Barris will go for a new cast. If you’ve watched Pryor’s stand-up and/or know anything about his personal life and struggles, you know that there is plenty of material that can used in a potential film. Who ends up getting the coveted part will have to really dig into the comedian’s soul without feeling like a poor imitation. That is why I hope they go for an unknown or lesser known actor/comedian to play Pryor as an A-list star would probably be too distracting.

As a fan of Barris and his work, I hope he can be able to bring some of the harder aspects of Pryor’s life to the forefront and not try and sugarcoat anything like the infamous 1980 incident where the comedian, while freebasing on cocaine, lit himself on fire almost costing him his life or his struggle with Multiple Sclerosis during the final years of his life. Either way, I can’t wait to see this project and who they ultimately get.

The Richard Pryor biopic doesn’t have a cast or start date but we will continue to update you when more information becomes available.