Eddie Murphy will reportedly star in an upcoming biopic about legendary comic Richard Pryor. He is set to play the late comedian’s father, LeRoy “Buck Carter” Pryor, who was a boxer and WWII veteran, in the Weinstein Co. drama. Lee Daniels–best known for The Butler and Empire–will direct the biopic.
The role of Richard Pryor will be played by actor Mike Epps. Might this mean nominations for next year’s Academy Awards for both Epps and Eddie Murphy? Richard Pryor’s widow indicated that’s a possibility.
“Harvey (Weinstein) would like it to be released for the Oscars. Because, you know, Harvey is good at that sh-t,” Jennifer Lee, who also serves as one of the biopic’s producers, said.
Eddie Murphy grew up idolizing Richard Pryor.
“Richard’s the one that made me want to do comedy,” he has previously said. “When I was little I used to sneak into my basement and put his albums on.”
Eddie Murphy recently appeared on the SNL 40th Anniversary Show, and made news for refusing to do a sketch about Bill Cosby.
Exciting Casting News! @eddiemurphy Cast in @leedanielsent Directed #RichardPryor Biopic http://t.co/I983T3j9U3 pic.twitter.com/pciVloBpNt
— BET (@BET) March 14, 2015
Lee Daniels hinted at a role for Eddie Murphy in this Richard Pryor biopic when he posted a recent picture of himself with Murphy on Instagram.
“Strap in and brace yourself. They done let me and him out of our cages! #idonteventhinkimreadyforthisone! #excited #proud #OMG,” he captioned the shot.
In addition to Eddie Murphy and Mike Epps, this biopic about Richard Pryor is rumored to also star Oprah Winfrey and Kate Hudson.
The biopic is still in pre-production, and no release date has yet been released.