Freddie Prinze Jr. reveals biopic about father is no longer in the works

Freddie Prinze Jr. has revealed that a biopic about his father Freddie Prinze is no longer in the works.

There have been a few unsuccessful attempts to make a biographical drama about the stand-up comedian and Chico and the Man star, who died by suicide in 1977 at the age of 22.

His actor son, who was less than a year old when his father died, was most recently approached by someone with "a cool take" on a biopic, however, the script did not live up to expectations and the project fell through.

"I was approached by someone I respect who saw a clip of my dad while they were doomscrolling online. It was a cool take, centred around his stand-up comedy. It seemed effortless," Prinze Jr. told Variety. "The script didn't translate to that original pitch, so it disappeared into the ether."

The I Know What You Did Last Summer star revealed that the family put the person in touch with "dad's old comrades" including composer Paul Williams and Prinze's ex Pam Grier as they "really knew him". He felt "grateful" that the Jackie Brown actress gave her time to the now-defunct project.

The She's All That actor then noted that the family wouldn't be opposed to a biopic "if the right idea came along" in the future.

When asked if it was ever suggested that he play his father in a movie, Prinze Jr. replied, "No, thankfully, although I'd expect that note from some of the executives that exist these days."

A previously biopic about Prinze titled Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze was broadcast on TV in 1979, only two years after his death.