The life of the iconic comedian “is an American story”.

Jay Z is producing a movie about Richard Pryor, the hugely influential black comedian who combined humour with politics and social commentary.

The news follows last week’s announcement of Jay Z’s two-year TV and film deal with The Weinstein Company to “tell stories from real-life prophets”, and was revealed during a press conference in New York City on Thursday, as Fader reports.

During the press conference, Harvey Weinstein joked that the pair would work on a “more commercial” project eventually, to which Jay Z responded: “There’s nothing more commercial than Richard Pryor. His story is an American story.”

Jay Z is currently acting as an executive producer on TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, a TV series about the young black man who was imprisoned on Riker’s Island for three years without trial and later committed suicide.