There’s no denying that Eddie Murphy is a uniquely talented actor and comedian. It’s also no stretch to admit that he hasn’t really pushed himself that much as an actor in recent years. Murphy has been mostly coasting in middling sequels like “Coming 2 America,” and “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.”
With that said, it’s great to see Murphy reteaming with director Bill Condon on a biopic of Parliament-Funkadelic singer George Clinton (via Deadline). The project, backed by Amazon/MGM, sounds enticing enough, and it helps that Condon directed him in “Dreamgirls,” which turned out to be one of Murphy’s very best performances.
The screenplay for the Clinton biopic is being written by Virgil Williams (“Mudbound”) from an original draft by Max Werner, and is based on George Clinton’s memoir, “Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You?” The project has the full backing of Catherine Davis, a lifelong George Clinton fan, who brought the idea to Murphy.
Still untitled, and with casting currently underway, the biopic will tackle the story of Clinton, a pioneer of funk, and his founding of the seminal band Parliament-Funkadelic.
Condon, an Oscar winner, was once a much praised filmmaker. His first couple of films included “Gods and Monsters,” and “Kinsey,” then Hollywood came calling … Condon’s collapse started when he decided to helm the last two ‘Twilight’ movies. He’s also one of the preeminent directors to hire if you want to make a movie musical; he wrote the screenplay for 2002’s “Chicago,” directed 2006’s “Dreamgirls,” and 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast,” and co-wrote 2017’s “The Greatest Showman.”
Condon is currently in post-production on “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” which was originally turned into an acclaimed 1985 film, starring William Hurt.
Meanwhile, this is a good time to namecheck some of Murphy’s best performances, I’m inclined to include “Coming to America,” “Trading Places,” “48 Hrs,” “Bowfinger,” “Dolemite is My Name,” and his work as Donkey in “Shrek.”