The moviegoing public went quite a while without seeing Eddie Murphy on screen but, over the past few years, the Hollywood legend has come back in full force. The actor came back swinging in 2019 with the positively reviewed dramedy Dolemite Is My Name and followed that up with Coming 2 America, which drew a lot of eyes to Amazon. Well, after the success of the long-awaited sequel, Murphy is now teaming up with the streamer for another movie, and the flick will reunite him with a former collaborator after 30 years.
The streaming giant announced that Eddie Murphy is reteaming with Prime Video for the upcoming holiday film Candy Cane Lane. While plot details are being kept locked away in Santa’s workshop, the streamer announced that Reginald Hudlin is set to helm the feature. The filmmaker and comic book writer previously directed Murphy in the 1992 rom-com Boomerang, which has since become a cult classic. Hudlin will direct from a screenplay written by Kelly Younger, and production is set to kick off in Los Angeles this winter. Murphy is also producing under his production banner alongside Academy Award-winner Brian Grazer.
Based on a statement released by Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, the company is happy to be in business with the former Saturday Night Live superstar who has a three-picture deal with the studio. Reginald Hudlin is also pumped to be working with the 61-year-old actor again. In a statement of his own, the House Party helmer said:
The holiday season is my favorite time of year—just ask my family about my nine-hour Christmas playlist! I‘m excited to be working again with Eddie Murphy, Brian Grazer, and Amazon.
The Oscar nominee has an extensive body of work but, interestingly, he hasn’t done too many yuletide productions aside from two Shrek TV specials. Sure, 1983’s Trading Places coincided with the holiday season, yet that movie wasn’t exactly about Christmas spirit. I’m curious as to what Murphy and Reginald Hudlin have planned but, if it’s anything like Boomerang, it should provide some good laughs.
In addition to Candy Cane Lane, the actor has a number of other projects on the docket. Eddie Murphy teamed up with Jonah Hill for Netflix comedy You People, which is set to drop sometime later this year. Specifics on the plot are still under wraps, though the story will reportedly see Murphy and Hill play characters who clash over cultural, societal and generational issues.
The Nutty Professor star has the long-gestating Beverly Hills Cop IV on his plate as well. Also set to be distributed by Netflix, the fourth Cop movie experienced a behind-the-scenes shakeup back in April, when it was revealed that directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah had exited. The project – which doesn’t have a production start date yet – is now set to be directed by Mark Molloy, who helmed the Apple at Work - The Underdogs short. The movie has seen plenty of starts and stops over the years so, hopefully, it’ll make some true progress now.
And even if that doesn’t happen, fans can still take comfort in knowing that Eddie Murphy will return in You People and the newly announced Candy Cane Lane. We’ll see if he and Reginald Hudlin can create magic once more by delivering a comedic holiday flick. While you wait for that gift to arrive, stream Coming 2 America and some of Murphy’s other cinematic classics using your Amazon Prime subscription.
