Despite retiring from the stage back in the late ‘80s, Eddie Murphy is still considered one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all-time. That last hurrah was coronated with the 1988 doc “Eddie Murphy Raw,” which grossed $50.5 million on an $8 million budget, making it the most financially successful standup movie of all time.
And so, it’s been 30 years since Murphy’s last standup performance. I’ve been clamoring for him to un-retire, the man had such a gift for performance comedy. My wishes may finally be coming to fruition.
TMZ is reporting that Murphy is in talks with Netflix to produce an undetermined number of new standup specials for a $70 million payday (rumor has it that it’ll be a total of three specials). This comes as Murphy hasn’t starred in a film since 2011’s misbegotten “Tower Heist.” He does have two notable projects being released in the next few months; the blaxploitation-inspired “My Name Is Dolemite” and a sequel to ”Coming to America.”
As mentioned, Murphy would reportedly be paid $70 million for the stand-up specials— the most Netflix has paid to any stand-up comic ever and by far.
My sources tell me it’s all but a done deal.