Richard Linklater to Direct Biopic of Legendary Comedian Bill Hicks

In the world of comedy, few burned as bright for as short a period of time as Bill Hicks. The nihilistic, chain smoking, foul mouthed prophet from Valdosta, Georgia was a god amongst fans of stand-up in the 80s and early 90s, and were heartbroken when pancreatic cancer took him in early 1994, at the age of only 32.

Like Andy Kaufman before him, his legend has only grown since then, particularly considering that his act was more or less adopted by another, ultimately more successful comedian in the wake of Hicks' death. There have been several documentaries that have chronicled Hicks' all too short life, including 2011's excellent American: The Bill Hicks Story, but now he's getting the full biopic treatment courtesy of one of America's greatest filmmakers.

According to Variety, Richard Linklater (Dazed & Confused, Boyhood) will write and direct a film about Hicks for Focus Features. Normally I'd say, expect the standard biopic treatment, but if you've seen Linklater's last biopic, Bernie, you'll know that he never really does things in the obvious way. I wouldn't be surprised to find him using contemporaries of Hicks' in the comedy world to tell stories about him, similar to the way he used the townsfolk in Bernie.

Either way, this feels like a perfect match between director and subject, and I can't wait for Hicks to finally get his due on the big screen. Now the question becomes, who do they cast? Chandler Riggs is from Atlanta and has the accent for it. He's one possibility. Who do you guys want to see play Bill Hicks in the movie? Sound off in the comments section below.

Enjoy a classic Hicks set from Letterman, which was shot in 1993 but not aired until 2009