Eddie Murphy Circling ‘Pink Panther’ Movie At MGM
Emmy and Golden Globe winner Eddie Murphy is circling a new Pink Panther movie in early development at the Amazon-owned MGM, multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
An iconic comedy-mystery franchise created for MGM by Blake Edwards, chronicling the investigations of the inept Inspector Jacques Clouseau, Pink Panther has thus far comprised 11 films, along with numerous series and specials.
Jeff Fowler (Sonic the Hedgehog) will direct the new film from a screenplay by Chris Bremner. Dan Lin, Julie Andrews, Larry Mirisch and Jonathan Eirich are aboard as producers. Murphy is expected to take on the role of Clouseau, which was originated in the ’60s by three-time Academy Award nominee Peter Sellers and later inhabited by Emmy winner Steve Martin starting in the early 2000s. One source close to Murphy described the project as a natural fit for the actor, who has long admired the comedic performances of Sellers.
Murphy most recently starred opposite Jonah Hill, Julia-Louis Dreyfus and more in Kenya Barris’ feature directorial debut, You People — a comedy which is so far amongst the most-viewed to debut on Netflix in 2023. He prior to that reprised his role as Prince Akeem for Prime Video’s Coming 2 America, which he also produced, and will soon be seen starring alongside Traces Ellis Ross and others in Prime Video’s holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane. He’s also set for Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley, a new film in his series of action comedies out of the ’80s, which will have him starring opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Murphy earlier this year attached himself to the heist comedy The Package, another film putting him in business with Amazon, which acquired the package in a seven-figure deal. He is represented by WME, ML Management and Ziffren Brittenham.
Source: Deadline
