Few comic actors in the history of Hollywood have experienced more of a rollercoaster career than Eddie Murphy. He burst onto the scene in the early 80s with mega-hits “48 Hrs”, “Trading Places” and “Beverly Hills Cop” (while starring on SNL). His success dipped a bit in the 90s but he rebounded in the next decade, highlighted by a Best Supporting Actor Oscar-nomination performance for “Dreamgirls” (losing in an upset to Alan Arkin – “Little Miss Sunshine”). Many still believe the release of “Norbit” around the same time swayed Academy members “not” to vote for him.
The animated sequels “Shrek the Third” and “Shrek Forever After” kept him in the spotlight, but his live-action comedies – “Meet Dave”, “Imagine That” and “A Thousand Words” were all busts. And the solid 2011 ensemble comedy “Tower Heist” didn’t quite connect with audiences, either.
For “Tower Heist” Murphy teamed-up with “Rush Hour” and “Hercules” director Brett Ratner. And the two were all set to reunite for the 2012 Oscars – Murphy as host and Ratner as producer, but later both backed-out due to some controversies.
But now it appears that Murphy and Ratner will be getting back together, and will be joined by legendary Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, for another “Beverly Hills Cop”, set for release on March 25, 2016. This announcement comes after a long struggle to reboot the popular 80s & 90s franchise (including a TV pilot which was passed on by several networks last year). This new “Beverly Hills Cop” will come 22 years after the release of “BHC III”.
Clearly this is “where he wants to be” in his career. Over the holidays, Murphy told Ellen DeGeneres on her show, “I don’t want to do anything else that sucks ever again” – a humorous and brutally honest statement. Hopefully, this could be the start of comeback we’ve been waiting for.
Eddie Murphy Fun Fact: Did you know he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA in 2002 as the voice of Donkey in the original “Shrek”? The day The Academy nominates a voice performance in an acting category will be historic to “say the least”.