Eddie Murphy’s third act has been full of surprises. According to Deadline, the 2007 Oscar nominee is now in talks to star as music legend George Clinton. On the list of people I expected to play the Parliament-Funkadelic frontman, The Nutty Professor star was not at the top of the list. Apparently this is a real passion project for the revered comedian.
Murphy will also produce, and once the team is done negotiating for rights with the “Flash Light” singer, they will begin to search for a writer. There is no studio currently attached to the project, but the actor has a three picture deal with Amazon so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them in the running for the film.
In case your parents haven’t been playing Parliament-Funkadelic on a non-stop loop since you were born, allow me to explain that George Clinton is one of the most influential musicians of all time. His music is literally the foundation of hip-hop, dance and modern R&B. He’s also one of the most fascinating personalities in entertainment. This seems like it’s the kind of role Murphy can really sink his teeth into and once again prove the disbelievers wrong.
After receiving widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore in the 2019 film Dolemite is My Name, Murphy has been in a career resurgence. Coming 2 America, the sequel to his similarly-titled comedy classic, did better than anyone was expecting and he’ll next be seen alongside Jonah Hill in the Kenya Barris movie You People, which Barris and Hill co-wrote. Apparently, Beverly Hills Cop 4 is still happening as well, with production scheduled for this summer. For context, Beverly Hills Cop came out in 1984 and the third film was released in 1994, so it’s been nearly 30 years since we last saw Axel Foley. Eddie Murphy is in the “I can do whatever I want, but I’m old enough to know better” phase of his career and it’s leading to some really interesting work.