The Richard Pryor biopic (preliminarily titled Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?) has been attracting numerous casting rumours since it was first feted. Of course, the natural choice for the part was Eddie Murphy, whose own stand up career was heavily influenced by the legendary Pryor. Though Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters) has been confirmed to direct the project, the casting of Pryor is still quite up in the air; though Murphy was at first heavily tipped, now there is talk of Marlon Wayans stepping in to star. This week movies.ie has a look at a few actors we think may be suitable for what will no doubt be a challenging role as the troubled but brilliant comedian and actor.
Don Cheadle
We'll tactfully sidestep Cheadle's performance in the Ocean's series and proclaim him to be one of our favourite actors here at movies.ie. Though he's currently tipped for the Miles Davis biopic, we think he has the swagger to make a great Pryor.
Derek Luke
Luke received great critical acclaim for his role in Antwone Fisher in 2002 but has found it difficult since then to find a good starring role for his talents. We think he has the depth to handle the darker aspects of Pryor's life and has shown in Notorious last year in his role as P Diddy that he can also do showbiz ego.
Wayne Brady
Though not a big name on this side of the Atlantic, Brady is a pretty big star over in America. He has appeared on hit shows like How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock as well as the American version of Who's Line Is It Anyway - this combination of comedy and acting experience could make him a good choice.
Chris Rock
Rock is one of the most successful stand up comedians of all time and his delivery may be a lot more manic than that of Pryor but he already knows how to work the stage. Added to that, despite the fact that he gets typecast a lot, the man can act when he's given the opportunity.
Jamie Foxx
Foxx's breakthrough performance in Ray has shown that he can become completely transformed and inhabit somebody else's skin incredibly well. Such a transformation would definitely be required in order to play Pryor but we think Foxx could bring his background in performance into the mix.
Now we'd like to turn the casting couch over to you! Have we missed out on the perfect Pryor or does one of these guys take your fancy?