Throughout the 80s, Eddie Murphy changed the landscape of stand-up comedy by dropping two seminal specials: Delirious (1983) and Raw (1987).
Clad in a red and then purple leather jumpsuit, the Saturday Night Live (SNL) alum effectively achieved what Richard Pryor had with the previous generation, taking the proverbial torch in hand, and eventually inspiring an equally-legendary cohort comprised of A-list names such as Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.
Now, Eddie Murphy is eying a return to the world of stand-up comedy and sold-out stadium shows.
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Prior to 2023, thereโd been chatter about this specific possibility, with Murphy himself having hinted at the existence of โtwo to three hoursโ of unfiltered material in his phone memos. During a recent press run to promote Netflixโs You People in which he co-stars alongside Jonah Hill, however, the Hollywood megastar clarified what we can expect and when we can realistically expect it.
โI do want to do stand-up again. A lot of the stuff that was in my phoneโฆ itโs a whole different world since the pandemic and we got a new president, itโs just a different world. So it was a lot of stuff that was in my phone, that itโs old stuff now,โ Eddie Murphy explained to Complex.
โSo the plan is, Iโm doing a movie now. And there are two other films** that Iโm supposed to do. Then Iโm going to try to get some new material in and see if I could still do stand-up.โ
**According to IMDb, the three films in question are Beverly Hills Cop 4, Candy Cane Lane, and Triplets โ the sequel to Twins with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito (yes really) โ which should keep the man busy until late 2023/early 2024.
Murphy added: โBut my show wonโt just be a stand-up show; my show will be music and stand-up. Because I canโt just get on the stage and just do jokes because I have all this other stuff now. Iโm thinking about how to put together a live show that has everything.โ
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By all accounts, it sounds like weโre on track for a variety format similar to Adam Sandlerโs own comeback special 100% Fresh.
The mention of music isnโt entirely surprising considering his hit 1985 single โParty All The Timeโ (see: below), which was written and produced by fellow 80s icon Rick James. The banger peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and perfectly encapsulated the ethos of an entire cocaine-fuelled era.
Eddie Murphy has also received critical acclaim for his performance as the fictitious R&B singer Jimmy Early in Bill Condonโs Dreamgirls circa 2006. Murphy was part of a stacked cast comprised of other multi-hyphenates such as Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, and Jamie Foxx.
Stay tuned for updates on this one.
