Mike Epps

Hey, remember back in May, when director Lee Daniels dropped out of the long (long, long, long)-developing Richard Pryor biopic? Okay, well, you can forget that ever happened because Daniels is returning to the project, and this time he’s bringing Jay Z with him — as a producer. With production projected to begin in early 2017, it looks like the movie about the iconic late comedian might finally make it to the big screen this time.

A Richard Pryor biopic has been in development for at least a decade now, with a couple of different actors and stars attached at various points. Pryor himself was involved in developing the film before his passing, but with director Lee Daniels attached the biopic is finally beginning to take shape and move forward, with Mike Epps officially locked down to star as the iconic comedian.