According to The Huffington Post, production for the highly anticipated Richard Pryor Biopic is set to begin filming soon. The late comedian will be played by Mike Epps with Lee Daniels set to be director. As stated by Mike Epps, filming will begin in March 2016. Mike Epps went through a long and grueling casting process before being chosen to play the iconic role of Richard Pryor. Other actor/comedians such as Marlon Wayans competed for the role.
The cast will also include Eddie Murphy, Oprah Winfrey, and Kate Hudson . Mike Epps said during his interview with The Huffington Post that, “Eddie Murphy’s playing my father, Oprah Winfrey’s playing my grandmother, Kate Hudson’s playing my girl, and I’m playing Richard Pryor.”
Mike Epps also described his preparation for the role of Pryor. Epps stated, “Right now, I’m just really soaking it up. I’m just a sponge right now,” he said. “Just doing a lot research on the history of Richard Pryor. Trying to figure out the things that I need to figure out to play certain scenes. How I need to feel. What state of mind I need to be in, because this guy was a roller coaster, man. It wasn’t easy. He was close to something that’s scientific – broken down into a whole lot of different ways.”
Even funny man, Mike Epps has a serious side. He isn’t the first comedian to play the role of an iconic legend. In 2004, Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles in the award winning movie ‘Ray’.
