Comedy legend Eddie Murphy is in negotiations to play the Godfather of Funk, George Clinton, in an upcoming biopic about the iconic musician.
Murphy, who began his career as a comedian on “Saturday Night Live,” has honed his dramatic acting chops for years after making films like “Beverly Hills Cop” and “The Nutty Professor.” He won a Golden Globe in 2007 for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jimmy Early in the film “Dream Girls.” Murphy also received an Academy Award nomination for the role.
In addition to playing the role of Clinton, the 60-year-old actor and comedian plans to produce the film with Catherine Davis, John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment. Murphy also worked with Davis Entertainment on the film “Dolemite Is My Name” about actor Rudy Ray Moore.
Clinton, who led the group Parliament-Funkadelic, also known as P-Funk, is a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner. The musician is also a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Word is that producers are currently working on buying the rights for the film, which will feature the musicians’ life growing up in North Carolina.
The film will also showcase his legendary music career as well as his impression on musicians such as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, the Wu-Tang Clan and Outkast. The 80-year-old musician was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Parliament-Funkadelic in 1997 and received his Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Murphy is also set to begin shooting “Beverly Hills Cop 4” this summer after he finishes filming the Netflix comedy “You People” directed by Kenya Barris and co-starring actor Jonah Hill. The actor is also making two more films for Amazon following the success of the “Coming To America” sequel, “Coming To America 2.”
