Marlon Wayans poised to play Richard Pryor
Story by Jack Foley
GI Joe star Marlon Wayans is in negotiations to play Richard Pryor in a biopic on the comedian.
A deal is reportedly in the final stages of completion, according to Entertainment Weekly, after Wayans completed a 13-minute screen-test in which he “transformed into Pryor” and blew the film’s producers away.
Bill Condon’s movie, Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said, had been considered a star vehicle for Eddie Murphy, who has long been keen to play his comedic idol.
But after the project stalled at Paramount, Sony Pictures has stepped in to revive it and looks set to pursue a different option for the central role.
Wayans is best known for his work on films such as Scary Movie, but remains an accomplished actor following eye-catching support in films such as Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream and the Coen brothers’ The Ladykillers.
He recently told IndieLondon that he wanted to branch out from comedy and make the most of his theatrical training. Read more
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