Having been absent from the big screen since 2016’s Mr. Church, Eddie Murphy is gearing up for a return with Deadline reporting that he is set to portray Rudy Ray Moore, star of the blaxploitation film Dolemite, in a biopic entitled Dolemite Is My Name.
Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow) is set to direct the feature for Netflix, with Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Big Eyes, Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt) penning the script.
Moore was working at a record store in Hollywood in 1970 when he began hearing stories about a pimp and hustler called Dolemite. Assuming the persona as a character, Moore began using the stories on stage and on comedy albums, using his earnings to finance the 1975 movie Dolemite, which focusses on a pimp and nightclub owner who sets out for revenge after being set up by a rival. A box office success, it went on to spawn three sequels.
Murphy is said to have been keen on the role for a decade, and will produce the film alongside John Davis and John Fox. Production is set to get underway this coming week.
