On the list of forever developing, never made movies, the continually gestating Richard Pryor biopic is likely near the top of the heap. The drama about the late, great, controversial comedian has seen a few versions get semi-started over the years but never quite come together, though Harvey Weinstein has been particularly passionate about the movie of late. It was just last year that he tried to push it into production so it could enter the awards season hunt, but the project seemed to fall apart. But alas, according to Harv, it’s gonna get made.
The producer and The Weinstein Company honcho revealed today that Lee Daniels is (re)attached to direct the project and that Jay Z has been brought on board as a producer. Other than that, details are pretty thin on the ground. When Daniels was formerly linked to direct, the movie had Mike Epps in the lead role, with Kate Hudson as Jennifer Pryor, and Oprah Winfrey slated to be Pryor’s grandmother. But who knows if that trio is still involved.
And given that Harv is prone to saying lots of things, I would not be entirely shocked if this continues to move slowly, even if a start date in early 2017 is penciled in. Certainly, Lee Daniels is quite busy, not just with TV hit “Empire,” but with making a musical based on his own life. [Variety]