Late comedy great Dick Gregory is set to return to the screen in a new documentary, just weeks after his death.
Producer Andre Gaines will make his directorial debut with I Am Dick Gregory, a film which will explore the life of the groundbreaking actor, author, and civil rights activist, who died on 19 August (17), aged 84.
Gaines began working on the project with the funnyman and his family last year (16), and he and his team are sifting through over 300 hours of old footage of Gregory’s stand up performances and other acts for the documentary, which will be executive produced by the star’s son, Christian, reports Variety.com.
“Dick Gregory is one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th and 21st Centuries,” says Gaines. “I say ‘is’ because he is still present to me, like he is to so many who admired his wit, intellect, jokes and wisdom.
Telling his story and working with his son Christian to honor his legacy is as meaningful to me and my team as the short time we spent with Dick Gregory himself.”
Gregory broke racial barriers during the early 1960s as he became one of the first black comedians to perform regularly in front of white audiences and mock racism as part of his act. He later focused his attentions on the civil rights movement, working alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
