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Writer-director Bill Condon and producers Adam Sandler and Chris Rock may have finally found their Richard Pryor.

According to both HitFix and Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider blog, Marlon Wayans is nearing a deal to play the late comedy icon in Sony's biopic Richard Pryor: Is it Something I Said.

A string of comic actors have been attached to play Pryor in one biopic or another over the years, including Marlon's own big brother Damon Wayans. Eddie Murphy, who snagged an Oscar nom for Condon's Dreamgirls, had most recently been attached to play Pryor in Is it Something I Said. EW claims Murphy dropped out over a conflict with Paramount, who had previously been involved with the project.

Citing insiders, EW claims "Wayans fought for the role, blowing the producers away with a 13-min screen test where he 'transforms into Pryor.' The movie depicts Pryor's controversial brand of comedy and his battle with drugs and is currently budgeted at $20 million."

Although perhaps best known for comedies such as White Chicks and Scary Movies, Wayans has also appeared in the likes of Requiem for a Dream and The Ladykillers. He's also starred in G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra and Dungeons & Dragons.