CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 28: Rhonda McCullough (L) and Je'Niece McCullough, widow and daughter of Bernie Mac, attend a ceremony honoring the late comedian with a street sign on February 28, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images
There is some movement in Hollywood regarding the development of a feature film about the life and career of Bernie Mac. News of the feature-length film first emerged during a panel at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival that featured Mike Jackson and John Legend of Higher Ground Productions.
“We just partnered with Bernie Mac’s estate to cover Bernie Mac’s story,” Jackson told attendees.
GRAMMY-Award winner John Legend was shocked as Jackson shared the news because it was something that “just happened" during the festival. Jackson also prefaced the reveal by saying that “something that John doesn’t know about yet.” Legend was ecstatic to hear the news because he was a huge fan of the late comedian.
“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,” Legend said about his former Soul Man co-star.
“He truly just got joy from lighting people’s faces up with laughter.”
The Bernie Mac biopic is still in its early stages of development, but his daughter, Je'Niece McCullough, has a few suggestions. She recently told TMZ that she would prefer if one of two stars played her father in the film, Aldis Hodge and Mark Phillips.
Hodge is no stranger to portraying iconic figures on the big screen. In the past, he's played MC Ren in Straight Outta Compton and Jim Brown in One Night In Miami. He's also appeared in Hidden Figures and City On A Hill. Moving forward, he's set to star alongside Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson in Black Adam.
Phillips is best known for his online presence through the YouTube channel, RDC World. With the help of his friends and housemates, Phillips has developed comedic skits about anime, sports and much more. Their work has garnered co-signs from LeBron James, Kevin Hart and several other stars. More recently, he landed a series on HBO Max with Issa Rae.
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