This may come as a surprise, but comedy icon Eddie Murphy and action star Wesley Snipes have never done a movie together. The two enjoyed great success in the 1990s on the big screen, just in different genres, with Eddie Murphy delivering the laughs in movies like The Nutty Professor and Bowfinger, and Wesley Snipes delivering some punishment in Demolition Man and Blade. But now these two actors will finally be teaming up, as Wesley Snipes has joined Eddie Murphy for the upcoming Netflix movie Dolemite Is My Name!
The film from Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer, is a biopic about comedian, film producer, actor and singer Rudy Ray Moore. The edgy comedian, known for his raunchy rhymes about pimps and prostitutes, broke through in Hollywood in the 1970s thanks in part to the success of his underground records, the proceeds of which he used to fund the film Dolemite. The Blaxploitation film told the story of a pimp named Dolemite who is wrongly imprisoned and employs his harem of prostitutes, who are martial arts experts, to make things right. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wesley Snipes will play D'Urville Martin, the actor who wound up directing Dolemite.
Wesley Snipes joins an already strong cast that, in addition to Eddie Murphy, includes Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Dolemite Is My Name! is written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, whose credits include Ed Wood, Man on the Moon and 1408.
A good biopic is always interesting, as such films are often the kinds of movies that get awards consideration. This sounds like the perfect film for all involved, too. The story of Rudy Ray Moore is a fascinating one, as he was a true character who rose from humble beginnings to leave a lasting impression on comedy. He was also hugely influential on rap as well due to his rhymes and their explicit subject matter.
Neither Eddie Murphy nor Wesley Snipes have done a lot lately, so it will be good to see these two together in a film that will probably be entertaining, but will also allow them to show off their considerable acting talents. Wesley Snipes character, D'Urville Martin, is described in THR's report as "an arrogant actor and alcoholic," which sounds like he and Eddie Murphy's Rudy Ray Moore may be having some entertaining head butting on the set of the movie. And for Eddie Murphy, getting to play a character that is so raunchy harkens back to the comedian's early, more foul-mouthed career before he started doing family films like Dr. Dolittle. This is also something of a passion project for Eddie Murphy, so I think we can expect something special from him here.
Netflix is aiming to launch Dolemite Is My Name! in 2019. Check out our guide to see everything heading to Netflix this year, and for all the latest in movie news, keep it locked to CinemaBlend.
