Richard Pryor Documentary Now in Production, Will Examine His ‘Dark Side’

The legendary comedian Richard Pryor’s life is a “Go” on being made into a documentary!

The project had been pushed back twice and was originally supposed to begin production in February. Thanks to BBC’s Storyville and Showtime, the documentary will finally be created. Honored with directing the late comic’s life will be Marina Zenovich who directed the documentary, Roman Polanski:Wanted and Desired. The film should be looking to release at BBC at the end of this year or early 2013. Showtime will be airing it around the same time.

At the beginning of 2012, Showtime announced that they were going to be a part of the project. Nick Fraser, BBC’s Storyville editor, was already working on the documentary. It had taken some time to get the project OK’d by Pryor’s estate, due to the family’s disapproval.

Fraser expressed, “We’ve wanted to do a film on him for a long time.” Fraser also mentioned that there would be “a lot of great archive.”

The documentary will not only show how influential Pryor was as a stand-up comedian, but it will also show the, “darker aspects of his life including drug abuse, multiple failed marriages and major health issues,” writes LaughSpin.Com. 

According to Jerry Seinfeld, Pryor was, “The Picasso of our profession.” Bob Newhart called him, “The seminal comedian of the last 50 years.”

Not only did Pryor’s words speak to those with the same occupation, they truly spoke to a wide variety of people. He is certainly missed, and comedy fans everywhere look forward to this exciting new documentary.

Let us know! What are your thoughts on Pryor? Will you watch this soon to be released documentary?

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