Bernie Mac, an original king of comedy, is getting the biopic treatment. Grammy-nominated singer John Legend’s production company, Get Lifted, is working with the estate of the late comedian on a film about The Bernie Mac Show co-creator and Soul Man star’s life. “It’s about the opportunities to tell a story that you feel are important,” Legend’s producing partner Mike Jackson said at the Tribeca Festival over the weekend.
Following the announcement, Legend and Jackson went on to reflect on Mac, who died in 2008, and his legacy.
Of The Bernie Mac Show, Legend said: “It was beautifully done… His humor was always edgy but it always had so much heart to it at the same time. You could tell he was a family man. You could tell that he loved the people he was talking about.”
Now the question is, who will play Mac in the biopic? It has to be someone funny, obviously, but also charismatic and gregarious with a hint of gleeful menace (not to be confused with Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood). Mac’s daughter has two suggestions. Je’Niece McCullough told TMZ that she would prefer either Aldis Hodge, who portrayed Jim Brown in One Night in Miami and MC Ren in Straight Outta Compton, or YouTube star Mark Phillips to play her dad.
Whoever doesn’t get the role deserves first crack at one of the other kings of comedy.
(Via TMZ and the Hollywood Reporter)
