Director Lee Daniels's Richard Pryor biopic has found its leading man: Mike Epps is set to play the late comedian in the long-awaited flick.
Daniels made the news official over the weekend, tweeting a photo of himself, Epps, and producer Oprah Winfrey to announce the casting.
Get ready y'all- #MikeEpps as #RichardPryor http://ift.tt/1sq8vRh
- lee daniels (@leedanielsent) August 24, 2014 Epps was in some serious competition for the role, with actors including Michael B. Jordan, Marlon Wayans, and Nick Cannon all vying for the part. But the comedian had some history on his side, with both Pryor and his wife, Jennifer Lee Pryor, giving Epps their blessing to play Pryor in a different biopic that was in the works nine years ago.
While that project never got off the ground, it seems that Lee Pryor's support for Epps ultimately helped him secure the part in Daniels's version. Epps himself also confirmed the news on Twitter, posting a photo of him kissing Lee Pryor's hand, and joking that he had to kiss her ring to get her approval.
Had to kiss the ring of @jennferLpryor for the blessing !you got to be stong to have been with the king! http://ift.tt/1tarYJJ
- Mike Epps (@TheRealMikeEpps) August 24, 2014 Pryor, who was known for both his incendiary routines on stage as well as his (literally) incendiary antics off of it, died of a heart attack in 2005 at age 65.
via: Lee Daniels, h/t Yahoo! Movies
Photo credit: Getty Images for BET
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