Deadline reports that Eddie Murphy is getting ready for his first film in two years and will star as actor and comedian Rudy Ray Moore in the Netflix original film Dolemite Is My Name.
Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan) is set to direct the film from frequent biopic scribes Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski whose previous adaptaions of real life events include Big Eyes, Ed Wood, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, and The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. Murphy will also produce the film alongside John Davis and John Fox.
Moore started out as a stand-up comedian and after hearing tales of a pimp named Dolemite, adopted the characteristics of the urban legend and became the character in his act. Following that he adapted the character into a feature film where he played Dolemite as a pimp that was an expert in kung-fu. A staple of blaxploitation cinema, the film was followed by two sequels.
Dolemite Is My Name will be Murphy’s first starring role since 2016’s Mr. Church. Preceding that, Murphy appeared in 2013’s A Thousand Words and 2012’s Tower Heist.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
