Kenya Barris is up there with names like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy as one of the most successful producers in the realm of TV, with numerous hit shows under his belt such as “Black-ish” (and its three spinoffs) and the recently released Netflix show “#BlackAF.” He’s also the writer of features such as “Girls Trip,” “The Witches,” and the upcoming “Coming 2 America.” And now, it appears the writer-producer is ready to add “director” to his resume with an upcoming film based on the life of legendary comedian Richard Pryor.
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According to Variety, Barris has signed on with MGM to write, produce, and direct a new Richard Pryor biopic. The untitled film will follow the tumultuous life of Pryor, with his humble beginnings, his iconic stand-up career followed by his feature film run, and of course, his various personal demons.
“The way Pryor did what he did — with truth and specificity that was somehow self-aware and self-deprecating, and said with an unmatched level of vulnerability — that was the power and impact of his work,” Barris said. “Pryor had a voice that was distinctly his and, in many ways, comedy since then has been derivative of what he created. To me, this is a film about that voice, the journey that shaped it, and what it took for it to come to be.”
Richard Pryor’s widow Jennifer Lee Pryor added, “Having had a front-row seat to much of Richard’s life, I am excited that the mystery of his genius is finally going to be explored and Kenya Barris is the perfect person to do it. Richard and Kenya are creative brothers.”
Obviously, Richard Pryor is one of the biggest names in the history of comedy, so there will be plenty of actors vying for the role. It’s unclear when production might commence on the film and when we might be able to see it on the big screen (or streaming platform) in the future.