Bernie Mac’s daughter Je’Niece McCullough has named the actors she feels are great choices to play her father, comedian Bernie Mac.
As TMZ reports, McCullough said Aldis Hodge and comedian Mark Phillips (supremedreams_1) are her go-tos for playing her father on screen. She praised Hodge’s acting skills and mentioned how he matches her father’s skin tone.
Hodge’s name could easily sell the biopic to potential viewers since he has made a name for himself on shows like TNT’s Leverage and WGN America’s Underground, as well as films like Regina King‘s Oscar-nominated film One Night in Miami. With the Oscars in his rearview mirror, Hodge’s cache in Hollywood should have increased. If he played Mac, the role could also probably put him back in the running for Oscars contention. Hodge is also in talks to portray Hawkman in the DC Comics cinematic universe.
Phillips, however, might be a new name for some. Phillips has made his fame as a YouTuber uploading pranks, skits and challenges to his channel RDCworld1. He also has a second channel RDCWorldGaming. Both channels are immensely successful; RDCworld1 currently has 4.92 million subscribers, and his gaming channel as 766,000 subscribers.
McCullough told TMZ she thought of Phillips to play her father based on her daughter being a fan. McCullough also said Phillips reminds her of her father, and that his humor and acting ability makes him a good choice for the job.
As recently reported, John Legend’s Get Lifted production company announced it will executive produce the film. The announcement was made at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, even to the surprise of Legend himself. Get Lifted partner Mike Jackson brokered the deal just before he and Legend were set to participate in a festival panel Friday.
“We just partnered with Bernie Mac’s estate to cover Bernie Mac’s story,” said Legend’s producing partner Mike Jackson. “[The film is] something that John doesn’t even know about yet,” he added, saying he was “very excited” about the deal. “It’s all about the opportunities to tell as story that you feel [is] important,” Jackson continued.
Do you see either of these as great casting options? Let us know in the comments!