Black-ish creator Kenya Barris is set to direct the upcoming Richard Pryor biopic from MGM Studios. MGM recently won the rights to the film in a hotly contested auction. Alongside Barris, Tory Metzger, Adam Rosenberg and Pryor’s wife, Jennifer Lee Pryor, will executive produce the untitled film.
“The way Pryor did what he did–with truth and specificity that was somehow self-aware and self-deprecating, and said with an unmatched level of vulnerability–that was the power and impact of his work,” Barris said.
“Pryor had a voice that was distinctly his and, in many ways, comedy since then has been derivative of what he created. To me, this is a film about that voice, the journey that shaped it, and what it took for it to come to be.”
Comedian Mike Epps was previously set to play the role of Richard Pryor in the film. However, it is unclear if he will still fulfill the role.
