Eddie Murphy has become an increasingly rare sight on the silver screen these days. Though he was arguably the biggest movie star in the world back in the 1980s, he has since become far more selective about the roles he picks and the projects that he signs onto as an actor. That makes developments like these so great to see, as Eddie Murphy has officially signed on to portray Rudy Ray Moore in a longtime passion project for Murphy over at Netflix.
Eddie Murphy has reportedly been gunning to take on this role for quite a while, and now he will finally get his chance. Stepping into the shoes of Dolemite star Rudy Ray Moore, Dolemite Is My Name will see the comedian chronicle the life of the comedian/actor became iconic for his portrayal of the kung-fu savvy pimp in the 1970s. Behind the scenes, Dolemite Is My Name will be directed by Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer, who will work from a script penned by Big Eyes screenwriters Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski. In addition to starring in the film, Murphy will also produce along with John Davis and John Fox.
To get a sense of the persona that Eddie Murphy is about to inhabit in Dolemite is My Name, you can check out a trailer for the original Dolemite, below!
The Deadline report of Eddie Murphy's portrayal of Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name seems particularly intriguing and exciting when we consider the fact that the Saturday Night Live alum has not done much acting over the course of the last few years. His most recent foray into the acting world was his understated role in Mr. Church in 2016, and his latest project before that was 2012's A Thousand Words. Murphy has become decidedly choosey about the projects that he opts to sign onto, so we will have to wait and see how Dolemite Is My Name turns out when it finally premieres.
With all of that said, Dolemite Is My Name is not the only iron that Eddie Murphy reportedly has in the fire right now. Specifically, last year we wrote about the rumored development of Beverly Hills Cop 4, which may or may not be looking at 21 Jump Street star Channing Tatum or Venom star Tom Hardy to take on a villainous role. We still don't know where and when that long-dormant project will finally come to fruition, but it's evident that Murphy still has a few projects that he's keen to work on in the current era of his career.
CinemaBlend will bring you more information about Dolemite Is My Name, and Eddie Murphy's involvement in the film as new details are made available to us. The film is set to begin production on June 12. Until we learn more about the development of Dolemite Is My Name, check out our 2018 movie premiere guide and our 2018 Netflix premiere guide to stay in-the-loop on what's coming for the rest of this year!
