Marlon Wayans Speaks On Playing Richard Pryor In Upcoming Biopic
Feb 23rd, 2010 by Bilal Ali
Comedian/Actor Marlon Wayans has been tapped to star in the lead role as the legendary comedian Richard Pryor in the biopic “Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?”
Eddie Murphy, who was originally asked to play the role, gave the green light for Marlon to take the lead.
“You need to be lucky in life, but it’s also what you do with your luck,” Wayans said, “This is like an invitation to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for me, and I’ve never been more excited in my life than when I got the role. I want to be in dramas, I want to produce, I want to write and I want to prove I can handle a role such as this one.”
The film which is currently in production, chronicles the life of the late comedian and is slated for a 2011 release date.
Richard Pryor, who passed away in 2005 after complications for Multiple Sclerosis, is hailed as one of the most prolific comedians of our time. Although most known for his stand up comedy and feature films, Pryor was also a featured writer on the hit 70’s sitcom “Sanford and Son” along side comedic genius Paul Mooney.