The Sun: Oscar-winning writer BILL CONDON, who directed Eddie and Beyonce in the 2006 musical Dreamgirls, is rumoured to be involved in the project.

Richard, who starred in See No Evil, Hear No Evil with GENE WILDER, battled drug addiction before suffering a fatal heart attack in 2005 at 65.

He infamously doused himself with rum and set himself on fire in 1980 following a cocaine and booze binge.

The comedian later used the tale into his standup routine by waving a lit match and saying: “What’s this? It’s Richard Pryor running down the street.”