Eddie Murphy Out--and Marlon Wayans in for Richard Pryor Biopic

It's about the money--it usually is--and what it's led to in the case of the Richard Pryor biopic is the fact that Eddie Murphy now is out, and Marlon Wayans is in.

But is that a good thing?

Get the Picture Picture says:

Murphy and Paramount had “conflicts,” but let’s be honest about it: He made $20 million or more for Meet Dave and Imagine That, which is a little less than both movies made combined in the US.

So Murphy moved on, leaving the film without its central figure. Entertainment Weekly says Wayans is in “advanced discussions” to play Pryor, and based solely on his work in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, he might be able to pull it off. Producers were apparently impressed enough by a transformative screen test to stop their search, so we’ll see.

Murphy no longer is the draw he used to be--probably a few too many talking animal movies under his belt, maybe a bit too much ego on the plate. But Wayans? Well, he's talented--and he's cheap. Anyone who used to watch him back in the day on "In Living Color" knows he can nail an impression, so it will be interesting to see what he does with this.