Along with being a famous movie star, Eddie Murphy has had a popular career as a stand-up comedian. Well, he is gearing up to get back to it. The platform he is currently in talks with is none other than Netflix, which has been home to a multitude of stand-up returns. Netflix is reportedly in negotiations with Murphy for a massive payday.
The amount that the streaming giant is willing to pay him is gargantuan. As it stands, Eddie Murphy is reportedly in talks to receive an amount that is around a stunning $70 million, per a TMZ exclusive, but they have been unable to confirm the exact amount. That said, it would be near that price. What does this payday entail?
Well, it is not for a single stand-up special, but the total number of installments is reportedly unknown. However, it would indeed cover multiple comedy specials starring Eddie Murphy. There is something to go on in terms of speculation as to how many specials we might see, since fellow comedian, Dave Chappelle, raked in $60 million for three Netflix specials a few years ago.
That number breaks down into Dave Chappelle earning roughly $20 million for each of his stand-up specials for Netflix. If Eddie Murphy’s earnings are considered evenly, it could hint that, like Chappelle, Murphy could be looking at doing three as well. That would put Murphy at earning $23.3 million for each of his specials.
There is no word on when Netflix subscribers could expect to see Eddie Murphy’s specials. The deal is not even final yet, so it may be a while. Murphy has recently been a guest on Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix series, Comedians in Cars in Cars Getting Coffee (pictured above), so, the signs for soon are excellent. Appearing on a Netflix series can only mean promising things. Or at least, one would think.
As for the money, Netflix clearly believes that Eddie Murphy will be worth it. The streamer recently made headlines for losing a record amount in one day, with Netflix dropping $17 billion in value. That would have paid for a lot of Eddie Murphy stand-up specials. Despite the drop, Netflix is still worth $142 billion, so they should be okay.
An Eddie Murphy stand-up special would be an edge the streamer has over Disney’s upcoming streaming service. In the streaming wars and battles ahead, every potential advantage Netflix can find will count for something. Being the one to deliver Murphy’s return to stand-up would be an edge over Disney+.
Disney+ is bringing its entire vault to bear. A treasure trove of content that should include Mulan, with the Eddie Murphy voiced character, Mushu. While a report indicated Netflix could stand to lose millions of customers to Disney+, the streamer is remaining confident.
Netflix’s boss believes users will add new streamers without cancelling its service. Will Eddie Murphy’s stand-up special on Netflix help keep them around? Stay tuned. Netflix has a lot of new programming to keep you entertained as you the wait for news on Murphy’s stand-up specials. There are also an abundance of summer premieres to consider as well.
