Richard Pryor

Adam McKay’s HBO L.A. Lakers drama series has added more members to the cast including actors who will play actor and Lakers megafan Jack Nicholson and comedian Richard Pryor. Max E. Williams (Dreamland) has been cast as Jack Nicholson, “icon, movie star… and one of the Lakers’ biggest courtside fans.”

Adam McKay‘s upcoming L.A. Lakers drama on HBO has cast some pivotal players in the series. Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carina Conti (The Last Tycoon), Max E. Williams (Dreamland), and Mariama Diallo (Random Acts of Flyness) have all scored recurring roles on the show that will be based on Jeff Pearlman‘s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.

Mike Epps will be playing Richard Pryor in a new HBO series about the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Deadline. The series is based on Jeff Pearlman's book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, and Epps joins a large cast. The series will be produced by Adam McKay and written by Max Borenstein.

HBO's Los Angeles Lakers series just cast its version of Richard Pryor and Jack Nicholson, with Mike Epps and Max E. Williams playing the two celebrity fans of the team per a report from Deadline. Epps is finally getting the chance to play the famed comedian over seven years after being announced as the lead in a biopic set to be directed by Lee Daniels that failed to make it out of development hell.

Epps will play the iconic comedian, while Carina Conti will take on the role of Abdul when she was a Laker Girls choreographer. Max E. Williams will play Lakers superfan Nicholson.

For years, there have been rumors roaming around Hollywood about a potential Richard Pryor biopic. There were two actor-comedians poised to tackle the role: Nick Cannon or Mike Epps. Both entertainers were even photographed portraying the beloved comedy icon, but in the end, the world didn't receive a biopic, and any updates regarding the potential film faded into oblivion.

EXCLUSIVE: Adam McKay’s HBO L.A. Lakers drama series is rounding out its cast. Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carina Conti (The Last Tycoon), Max E. Williams (Dreamland) and Mariama Diallo (Random Acts of Flyness) will recur in the series based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. McKay’s Hyperobject Industries is producing.

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It was Mooney, who died Wednesday at age 79, who wrote the iconic "Word Association" sketch in which Pryor reacts to Chase saying the N-word with "dead honkey" that aired on Saturday Night Live two months after the show's debut in 1975. "The fledgling series was in need of a ratings boost, and Lorne Michaels — co-creator and producer — was determined to book a guest host he knew could garner viewers: comedian Richard Pryor," says The Washington Post's Bethonie Butler. "Pryor was at the height of his breakout, on the heels of his Grammy-winning 1974 comedy album and an Emmy win for his work (alongside Michaels and others) on Tomlin’s eponymous 1973 TV special. He agreed to host the show on a few conditions, including one nonnegotiable demand: Paul Mooney, his writing partner of several years, was coming with him. Mooney’s presence in the writers room proved integral to the episode’s success, though his contributions have largely been relegated to footnotes over the years. To some extent, his brief but indelible work on what became Saturday Night Live mirrors the legacy that Mooney — who died Wednesday at 79 — built as an influential but often underappreciated comedian." After Pryor's death in 2005, Lorne Michaels told The New York Times that the "Word Association" sketch "defined us. It put us on the map."

Paul Mooney, the comedian, actor and writer for Richard Pryor, died on Wednesday morning, his representative Cassandra Williams confirmed to Variety. He was 79. He died at his home in Oakland, CA after suffering a heart attack. Mooney’s Twitter account also shared the news on Wednesday morning, posting “Thank you...

In 1975, a new sketch comedy show was reaching the midway point of its first season on NBC. “Saturday Night,” as it was then known, had premiered with George Carlin as its inaugural host, followed by turns from celebrities including Rob Reiner, Candice Bergen and Lily Tomlin. The fledgling series was in need of a ratings boost, and Lorne Michaels — co-creator and producer — was determined to book a guest host he knew could garner viewers: comedian Richard Pryor.

Paul Mooney, the comedian, actor and writer for Richard Pryor, died on Wednesday morning, his representative Cassandra Williams confirmed to Variety. He died at his home in Oakland, Calif., after suffering a heart attack. Mooney's Twitter account also shared the news on Wednesday morning, posting "Thank you all from the...

Paul Mooney, who was comedian Richard Pryor’s longtime writing partner and became known as an incisive, barrier-breaking comic in his own right, creating characters such as the all-seeing Negrodamus on Dave Chappelle’s sketch comedy show, died May 19 at his home in Oakland, Calif. He was 79. The cause was...

Paul Mooney, a towering figure in the world of comedy and social criticism who brought a sharp eye and sharper humor to the subject of race relations, never better than in his collaborations with Richard Pryor, died today after suffering a heart attack. He was 79. His death was announced...