Hey, Bill Condon. Have you heard Joe Henry's song about Richard Pryor?

With reports spreading today that Marlon Wayans, not Eddie Murphy, may be playing Richard Pryor in the biopic called Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?, I’m immediately wondering how director Bill Condon will capture both the heights of hilarity in Pryor’s performances and the depths of sadness in Pryor’s story.

What films have successfully captured both the humor and the darkness that mingle in the stories of so many great comedians? Milos Forman did a surprisingly effective job portraying Andy Kaufman’s brilliant, sad spirit in the underrated Man on the Moon. Maybe that’s the best movie for Condon to consider as he works.
But I’d also recommend, as Condon develops the project, to spend late nights listening to Joe Henry’s heartbreaking song, “Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation.”