Richard Pryor

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.

There are tons of hilarious Black movies. They’ve made three of the Barbershop movies, Kevin Hart can’t seem to stay out of theaters, and we could rattle off an endless array of Eddie Murphy quotes from films. But what are the best? What are the movies that you can’t go to any BBQ or hair salon without hearing quotes and references? There are almost too many to consider, but we whittled it down to ten. These are our picks for the funniest Black comedies of all time.

A biopic based on the life of the late, great Richard Pryor has been in the works for years, only recently making some legitimate progress with the hiring of director Lee Daniels and actor Mike Epps — who landed the role of the iconic comedian following an exhaustive casting search. But the project has taken a bit of a stumble, as Daniels has been forced to exit the biopic, which is now in need of a new director (again).

After years of struggling to find the right director and — more importantly — the right actor for the Richard Pryor biopic, the film is finally on its way to production, with Lee Daniels at the helm. Back in August, Mike Epps was confirmed for the role of the late Pryor, but the film may be close to casting another iconic comedian as Tracy Morgan is reportedly in talks to play Redd Foxx.

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.

When Precious and The Butler director Lee Daniels revealed that he was making a Richard Pryor biopic, he found himself looking to cast a role that many actors would fight tooth and nail for. The legendary comic, who passed away in 2005, was an inspiration to countless performers and belongs on any shortlist of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time. The fact that his life was also deeply tragic makes him an even more fascinating figure. This was a chance for an actor to honor a legend and get the dramatic role of a lifetime. The part ultimately went to Mike Epps, but long before Daniels was attached to direct, Marlon Wayans auditioned for the role. That audition tape has now surfaced.