Actress Kate Hudson has joined the cast of Lee Daniels' Richard Pryor biopic as the late comedian's wife.

The Almost Famous star will take on the role of Jennifer Lee Pryor alongside Mike Epps as the funnyman, while media mogul Oprah Winfrey will play his grandmother.

And Daniels cannot wait to get started on the movie, saying, "I'll start pre-production in January and shoot at the end of March, beginning of April, in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"It's been so great because I haven't really worked on a film in over a year. I'm anxious to be getting behind the camera."

Pryor died in 2005, aged 65, after suffering a heart attack. He spent years battling multiple sclerosis prior to his death.