Mike Epps Confirmed as Richard Pryor in Lee Daniels' Film; Oprah Winfrey Joins Cast

Years in the making with names like Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Michael B. Jordan, Marlon Wayans, and most recently Nick Cannon (negatory, dude) circling the lead role, a biopic on legendary comedian Richard Pryor has met a lot of hurdles. Primarily finding someone to play the funnyman, and meet the approval of the Pryor estate, proved to be an issue. When Lee Daniels came aboard to direct the film those roadblocks seemed to come down, and recently Mike Epps was the guy seen as frontrunner to star. And now it appears his screen tests were impressive enough to lock up the deal once and for all.

Both Epps and Daniels took to Twitter to reveal the news of Epps' casting, with the director tweeting this photo that includes his Oprah Winfrey, cast as Pryor's abusive grandmothe....

Get ready y'all- #MikeEpps as #RichardPryor pic.twitter.com/0sothu7yVB
— lee daniels (@leedanielsent) August 24, 2014

Meanwile, Epps tweeted this photo of what he had to do land the role of Pryor, namely kissing the hand of his widow, Jennifer....

Had to kiss the ring of @jennferLpryor for the blessing !you got to be stong to have been with the king! pic.twitter.com/OxvbjvPqHc
— Mike Epps (@TheRealMikeEpps) August 24, 2014

Epps played Pryor in the Nina Simone biopic starring Zoe Saldana, and lately has been taking on more dramatic roles in films like Sparkle and Jumping the Broom. This would be the biggest part of his career, though, and could do for him what Ray did for Jamie Foxx.

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Mike Epps Frontrunner to Play Richard Pryor in Lee Daniels' Biopic; Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson Eyed for Role

Making movies about real life people is always a complicated thing because there are factors involved that have nothing to do with what's on-screen. Often the central figure's estate gets involved and holds things up or shuts them down entirely, and then there's that whole problem of finding just the right actor. Many have attempted to make a biopic on Richard Pryor over the years with very little success, and Lee Daniels is next to give it a shot. And while he's facing issues from Pryor's son who is threatening a legal fight, Daniels is moving ahead on casting and a frontrunner has emerged in Mike Epps.

Deadline reports Epps as the new prime candidate to play Pryor, which makes sense for a couple of reasons. Epps' stand-up style has a similar energy to Pryor (I'm not saying he's just as good, trust me), to the point where Epps actually played Pryor in the controversial Nina Simone biopic starring Zoe Saldana. When Daniels first came aboard it was Michael B. Jordan eyed for the role, and then Nick Cannon made a serious case for it. Both appear to still be in contention alongside Marlon Wayans. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway are said to be up to portray his widow, Richard Lee Pryor, but where those negotiations are is unclear.

This could be a "big deal" film that Oscars get handed out for so understandably the competition for this one is fierce, and Daniels will probably take his time in making a decision. 

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Lee Daniels in Talks to Direct Richard Pryor Biopic; Michael B. Jordan Eyed for Lead

Lee Daniels has gone biopic crazy, and considering the success he found with civil rights drama The Butler, it's not really a surprise. While the film was still in development he became attached to a Janis Joplin biopic with Amy Adams; has circled a Sammy Davis Jr. film over at HBO; and has spoken frequently about making a Richard Pryor bio. It's that last project that has taken a big step forward into reality, as THR reports Daniels is in talks to helm a film on the legendary comedian.

Daniels will partner up with The Weinstein Company, who distributed The Butler and are fully committing to back the untitled biopic financially. In development for some years and once titled Is It Something I Said? , Eddie Murphy and Damon Wayans have long been seen as contenders for the lead role, and they are apparently still in the mix alongside Michael B. Jordan. There's a pretty big age disparity there, and Wayans is said to be the right age and has impressed Harvey Weinstein in screen tests. Jordan is red-hot right now coming off another biopic, Fruitvale Station, and may have the overall edge.

Everyone from Adam Sandler to Forest Whitaker to Bill Condon has tried to get this film off the ground so let's just wait and see if Daniels sticks. As for who would do Pryor the justice he deserves? Jordan has the look and could probably knock it out of the park, but aging him up could prove to be a problem. Let's just wait and see what happens. 

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