RichardPryor Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Marlon Wayans Has a Pryor Commitment
Filed under: Casting »
Less than eight months ago, it was confirmed that Eddie Murphy would play the lead role in Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?, a biopic about the legendary comedian. Bill Condon, who directed Murphy to an Oscar nomination in Dreamgirls, wrote the screenplay and was set to direct. The film was going to be made at Paramount, the studio behind Dreamgirls. Murphy used to do a killer impression of Pryor in his stand-up act. It seemed like the perfect plan. But then -- record scratch! -- everything fell apart. Entertainment Weekly reported late Tuesday night that Murphy had left the project "over conflicts with Paramount," and that now Paramount is gone, too. Condon is still directing, but the film will now be produced by Sony Pictures and Happy Madison Productions (Adam Sandler's company). And the new Richard Pryor? Marlon Wayans.
The Wayans family name has been sullied in recent years by such travesties as White Chicks, Little Man, and Dance Flick, all of which Marlon Wayans co-wrote and appeared in. But don't forget: He can do legitimate acting, too. His performance in the harrowing Requiem for a Dream in 2000 was widely praised, and his acting muscles apparently haven't atrophied since then. Producers on the Richard Pryor flick were reportedly blown away by his 13-minute audition tape, in which EW says he "transformed into Pryor." So while at first blush this might sound like a poor choice in casting, the filmmakers have seen Wayans' screen test and we haven't, and it's apparently pretty amazing.
Classic Cameos: The Muppet Movie
Filed under: Classics », Fandom », Family Films »
I think our original idea behind the Classic Cameos series was to pick one memorable cameo from a movie. However, The Muppet Movie is a long string of cameos, and why should I have to highlight only one? So many people pop up throughout the 1979 film -- my favorites are James Coburn, who owns the El Sleezo nightclub; Carol Kane's very silly "Myth? Yeth?" running gag; Mel Brooks in what's really more of an actual role than a cameo, as the mad scientist; and Orson Welles at the end of the film. If that sounds like enough cameos, I've barely started. The Muppet Movie also has appearances from Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn and Telly Savalas, Paul Williams, Cloris Leachman, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Edgar Bergen (and Charlie McCarthy), Elliot Gould and Big Bird. Director James Frawley supposedly appears onscreen briefly, but I'm not sure I'd recognize him. I've included two YouTube clips of cameos after the jump: Richard Pryor as a balloon salesman who gets Gonzo in a lot of trouble; and Steve Martin as -- what else? -- a rude waiter.
The Muppet Movie sometimes gets a "cameo for cameo's sake" feeling after you've seen two or three of them that have little to do with the plot and aren't that funny. As the years go by, however, I do get a warm sentimental feeling from watching various performers who are no longer with us -- including, of course, Jim Henson himself as Kermit the Frog.
How Would You Remake 'Brewster's Millions' in Today's World?
Filed under: Comedy », Newsstand »
For the past few years, my friends and I have talked about the potential for a Brewster's Millions remake on several different occasions. Everyone has those movies they're oddly obsessed with, and for us it's this flick. I think it's because the storyline (originally based on George Barr McCutcheon's 1902 novel) is perfect remake material, which is why we've already seen eight versions of it -- the last of which being the hilarious 1985 film starring Richard Pryor and John Candy. Not to mention the film is a great fit for some fun buddy humor, allowing a studio (in this case Warner Bros.) to pair up two of today's hottest comic actors and watch them go to town.The central premise is that a man inherits hundreds of millions of dollars, but in order to retrieve it he must first spend a smaller amount (it was $30 million in the 1985 film) in 30 days without acquiring any assets and without revealing his predicament to anyone. Newbies Michael Dilberti and Matthew Sullivan have been hired to write the remake, and they'll be up against a premise that may be a tough fit for today's world, where someone can easily spend millions in minutes. Let's face it, the 2009 world is a lot different than the 1985 world, and Dilberti and Sullivan will be charged with making this premise work in the here and now.
But what does that mean? Do you have to up the amount Brewster now has to spend? $30 million was a lot in 1985, but I imagine someone could spend that quite easily in 2009 if they needed to. Will the duo have to add more rules to make it work? And who do you get to star?
How would you remake Brewster's Millions in today's world?
Discuss: What Film Friendships Must Be Rekindled?
Filed under: Fandom »
There's nothing like palpable chemistry on the big screen -- and I'm not talking about only the passionate kind, that je ne sais quoi that makes Mullholland Drive a go-to for steamy interludes. I'm also referring to the platonic manifestation: cinematic friendships. Grab two actors with great camaraderie, and almost nothing can defeat them -- not a bad script, shoddy co-stars, or mediocre directors.
In praise of film friendships in the wake of Rudo & Cursi, The Guardian wonders which friends should be reunited on the big screen. The piece intermingles romantic connections with platonic friendships, and I can't say I blame them. For the most part, the duos we love seem to have a close friendship as much as a fiery romance -- think couples from Tracy and Hepburn to Delpy and Hawke. These duos wouldn't be half as loved if not for that spark of admiration and true interest the radiates between them.
But who else has captured your movie-going heart? More than anyone else, I'd love more Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor interludes, and never completely stop mourning the fact that we'll never get another See No Evil, Hear No Evil or Silver Streak. But Gene and Richard are only the tip of a large iceberg. What about Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, Uma Thurman and Maria De Maderos, Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke, Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck, or ... ? What friendly cinematic reunion are you waiting for?
Eddie Murphy to Play Richard Pryor
Filed under: Casting », Deals », Fandom »
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A few different sources (EW, Hitfix) have confirmed that Eddie Murphy will play legendary comedian Richard Pryor in a new drama called Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? for director Bill Condon, who's reuniting with Murphy following their 2006 hit Dreamgirls. Folks are pegging this as Murphy's return to drama, but I just don't see how serious a film about Richard Pryor could be. Sure, the guy had a long career full of ups and downs and sickness, but do we even want to see a straight-up drama about Richard Pryor? I don't. I kinda want to laugh a little, too. Fox Searchlight nabbed the film once The Weinstein Co. put it into turnaround, and Condon is eying a summer 2010 release. Personally, I know Murphy used to do a fantastic Richard Pryor impersonation, and I hope the guy still has enough funky left in him to pull this one off right. The script is said to also feature roles for Pryor's four ex-wives, as well as Red Foxx. (Right now I sense Beyonce trying to wiggle her way in there somehow.) Check out a hysterical bit from Raw after the jump, in which Eddie does a little Richard Pryor -- then let us know what you think: Is Murphy the right person for this role?
Watch This: Richard Pryor Bartends for 'Star Wars' Characters
Filed under: Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
Somehow I've never seen this video clip, but with Star Wars: The Clone Wars arriving in theaters this Friday, it certainly popped into my life at a convenient time. From the short-lived Richard Pryor Show (which lasted only four episodes and aired on NBC in 1977) comes this skit with the comedian acting as a bartender in what appears to be The Mos Eisley Cantina ... but the show simply calls it Star Wars Bar. And I believe all of these are the original costumes worn in Star Wars: A New Hope, which makes the bit even funnier (especially when he wanders over to Greedo's table). The show itself was known for being a tad controversial, and did poorly in the ratings. Greatest line from this skit comes when Pryor reacts to a Star Wars creature by saying, "You look just like a nigga' from Detroit I know." Hilarious. Enjoy!
Fan Rant: Charlie Chaplin's Talkies Deserve More Respect
Filed under: Classics », Comedy », Fandom », Fan Rant »
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As a fresh 35mm print of Charlie Chaplin's quintessential 1947 thriller Monsieur Verdoux begins circulating through revival houses around the country, it seems like a good time to remind people that while the late actor is mainly known as a star of the silent screen, he definitely didn't die with it. Although the greatest slapstick artist of all time initially rejected the development of sound film, mocking it with hilariously exaggerated voices in City Lights, he eventually adopted it after realizing that resistance was futile. However, he refused to simply throw in a few lines of dialogue to accompany his beloved tramp shtick, choosing instead to take his career in a fresh direction. While Chaplin made many sound films over the course of several decades, only two of them really qualify as classic talkies (except for Limelight, which deserves a category of its own). Late flops like A King of New York don't really hold together, but Chaplin's initial forays into the world of sound film display his talent as a composer of distinctive prose.
His first work of this era, The Great Dictator, remains a masterpiece that broadened the potential of his tramp character with a modified Prince and the Pauper tale applied to World War II, and Chaplin doing double duty playing both a Jewish barber and an exaggerated Adolf Hitler (or "Hinkel," rather). Monsieur Verdoux, in which he plays a frustrated man whose losses during the Great Depression lead to a twisted scheme where he marries, murders and robs rich women, represented something else altogether: Chaplin's only brooding melodrama, the occasional laughs are almost incidental.
Richard Pryor Biopic Is Getting A Re-Write
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Scripts »
The passing of Richard Pryor was the loss of one of the greatest comedians in history. Pryor made a huge impact on the comedy business with a blend of justified rage and heartfelt humor. Pryor's first attempt at a biopic, Jo-Jo Dancer Your Life is Calling might have raked his personal life over the coals, but a new biopic is taking a different approach, albeit at the advice of legal counsel.Back in 2005, Mike Epps was signed to portray the comedian in a film about Pryor's life. Unfortunately, in a recent interview with VH1, Epps admitted that the production might be delayed. In the interview, Epps says that a dispute between Pryor's ex-wives over the comedian's assets had caused pre-production to shut down. The film has signed Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou) to direct and the new script is being written to include information from the memoirs of Pryor's daughter Rain. Epps explained the changes by saying the new film "is coming from the perspective and eyes of the kids, Rain and Elizabeth, and so forth. So I think people are gonna get a whole other view of Richard Pryor through this story."
Luckily, an agreement has been made which should allow for the film to begin shooting later this year. So barring any more family squabbling, pic should be set for release sometime in 2007.
Epps as Pryor, Bond in Prague: Variety in 60 Seconds
Filed under: Action », Animation », Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Sports », Casting », Deals », Disney », Festival Reports »
Mike Epps will play Richard Pryor in a Walter Hill-directed biopic on the comedian's life. "The material is larger than life, and you need
someone to fit into it who's not extraordinarily famous or else it
would be like Al Jolson playing Malcolm X," said Pryor's wife Jennifer. Now THAT woulda been a show...- Casino Royale, the next and 21st James Bond film, will shoot in Prague next summer. Variety claims "the lead is still not cast."
- Crystal Sky and Screen Gems are partnering to make a feature based on the martial arts video game Tekken, to be directed by "longtime Tekken player Charles Stone."
- MTV Films is planning to buy a project called Adult World from 23-year-old writer Andrew Cochran, about a Stanford student mitigating a dream deferred.
- Three Disney films are set to hit Broadway as full-fledged cash-cow musicals in the next two years: The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, and London transplant Mary Poppins.
- 'Where else can one hear in a single question references to, and a supposed relationship between, the Philadelphia mob and the American Civil War?" Elizabeth Guider attends a Cannes press conference starring Lars Von Trier.
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
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