eddie murphy Tagged Articles at Cinematical

We get to see celeb's opinions on Twitter, even if movie studios are trying to squelch that, we're treated to Katharine Heigl getting frank every so-many months, and now we've got the world according to Pinchot. Bronson Pinchot. The A.V. Club talked with the actor about his newly released (on DVD) film Mr. Art Critic, and after the briefest chatter about the new film, A.V. got Pinchot talking about his whole career -- very candidly. Not the "Oh gee, they were swell to work with" crap, but behind-the-scenes word on Tom Cruise homophobia, Denzel Washington's meanness, Eddie Murphy's depression, Bette Midler's diva ways, and some praise for the likes of Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Mischa Barton.

Kicking it off is The Cruise, who seems to have been busy with his weird ways for years. Back when Risky Business was being filmed, it seemed he couldn't stop adding gayness into everything, from the confusing: "You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?" to the more decipherable "It's a nice day, I'm glad there are no gay people standing here." As for the others, it seems Denzel gets the harshest words: "He was so vile," while Midler was "such a bitch" to director Hugh Wilson during The First Wives Club. On the nicer end of things, Scorsese gave Pinchot some of his best professional advice, Tarantino dug his "cackle of joy" in True Romance, and Barton revealed her body issues to Pinchot to help get her crying for Finding t.A.T.u: "She was a very sweet kid, actually. Rather brave in a way."

OK, maybe not literally. I mean, the rise of Brett Ratner probably isn't a sign of the end-times, although anyone who saw Rush Hour 3 might feel a little differently. So say what you want about him as a director, at least he's not deluded about his place in film history. In an interview with Starpulse, the director that everyone loves to hate was promoting his DVD tribute, The Shooter Series, but the conversation soon drifted to Ratner's rep among the comic book crowd where he had a few choice words for his detractors, saying, "You can't make these people happy. I'm kind of the Anti-Christ to these comic book geeks. Every single person that wrote shit went to see that movie multiple times because a movie doesn't gross $200 something million unless people go to see it more than once. Every single person who said, "I'm never seeing that movie," they were the first ones there."

It might pain me to say this, but the man has a point.

When it comes to our personal 'kinks' there isn't much that can keep fans away from the theater (case in point: I know I'll be there opening day for a Whedonless Buffy). But let's be honest: getting so-called geeks into the theater for the big-screen treatment of a beloved hero is the cinematic equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. Yet that hasn't stopped Ratner from seeing everything he does as a huge success, telling Starpulse: "Mine [X-Men:The Last Stand] outgrossed the other two by far. Mine was the one that made the most narrative sense." The sound you just heard was my head hitting the keyboard ... repeatedly. But I guess that's one thing about Ratner that will never change: for him, box office will always be in direct proportion to quality.

After the jump: a Beverly Hills Cop IV update...

Less than eight months ago, it was confirmed that Eddie Murphy would play the lead role in Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?, a biopic about the legendary comedian. Bill Condon, who directed Murphy to an Oscar nomination in Dreamgirls, wrote the screenplay and was set to direct. The film was going to be made at Paramount, the studio behind Dreamgirls. Murphy used to do a killer impression of Pryor in his stand-up act. It seemed like the perfect plan.

But then -- record scratch! -- everything fell apart. Entertainment Weekly reported late Tuesday night that Murphy had left the project "over conflicts with Paramount," and that now Paramount is gone, too. Condon is still directing, but the film will now be produced by Sony Pictures and Happy Madison Productions (Adam Sandler's company). And the new Richard Pryor? Marlon Wayans.

The Wayans family name has been sullied in recent years by such travesties as White Chicks, Little Man, and Dance Flick, all of which Marlon Wayans co-wrote and appeared in. But don't forget: He can do legitimate acting, too. His performance in the harrowing Requiem for a Dream in 2000 was widely praised, and his acting muscles apparently haven't atrophied since then. Producers on the Richard Pryor flick were reportedly blown away by his 13-minute audition tape, in which EW says he "transformed into Pryor." So while at first blush this might sound like a poor choice in casting, the filmmakers have seen Wayans' screen test and we haven't, and it's apparently pretty amazing.

Back in December when new Batman rumors were swirling faster than the wind between buildings in Gotham City, the Brits from across the pond were having a blast chucking out one false casting rumor after the next. The truth at the time (and it still is to a degree) was that Christopher Nolan hadn't even started work on a script for the next Batman movie, and casting the thing was still a ways out.

One rumor that popped up had to do with Eddie Murphy becoming The Riddler in the new film. We all knew it was bullsh*t at the time, but it was finally confirmed by the man himself, Eddie Murphy, during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien last night. The clip isn't online yet (I'm sure it'll hit Hulu in the next day or so), but Conan actually brought up the Riddler rumor to Eddie and the actor laughed it off as such after acknowledging that he heard it too and thought it was hilarious. After that, though, he did say that he'd actually like to star in (and I'm paraphrasing) "one of those Batman type films," which means we could see Murphy donning a tight superhero suit one day soon. Will he be The Riddler? Probably not. But I wouldn't be surprised if Eddie gets in on this superhero craze in some way, shape or form in the near future.

Update: Thanks to commenter John for reminding me that Murphy said he'd love to play Egghead instead of Riddler, and proceeded to do the Egghead voice as Vincent Price. Funny stuff.

Update 2: Video of this interview is now available at NBC's site. And I'm not reminded that they also discussed James Brown, and Eddie said he'd love to see Wesley Snipes take on the role.

And don't forget to vote for your favorite all-time Eddie Murphy character over at Moviefone.

This Friday Eddie Murphy hits screens with the film Imagine That, which looks to be another family-friendly outing for the once-controversial actor. Sure, these films seem to do pretty well at the box office, and I'm positive Imagine That has just enough cutesy kid moments to attract a whole bunch of families to theaters this weekend, but what I really want is old Eddie Murphy. I want crazy Eddie Murphy. I want bug-eyed Eddie Murphy. I want the Eddie Murphy who couldn't blurt out two lines of dialogue without cursing seven times.

That's the Eddie Murphy I want back in theaters, and while I hope he brings some of that to the planned Beverly Hills Cop 4, part of me feels like that Eddie is long gone and only available in films from the early 90s or prior (with the exception of the hilarious Bowfinger in 1999). So with all that in mind, I decided to dig up a little old Eddie to go with the new Eddie arriving in theaters this week, and since I just watched Trading Places with some buddies again over the weekend, I had to go with this clip because we all agreed it showed Eddie at his best. (And whoever that guy is who keeps saying "Yeah" -- well, he should've won an award for comedic timing in this scene because that dude just cracks me the hell up.)

Watch the scene after the jump.

Forbes has released its Most Valuable Comedians list, and through some intricate calculations I stopped studying after high school, came up with Adam Sandler as Hollywood's most powerful laugh riot, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

Sandler is gaining traction not only because of his starring roles in such critic-proof movies as You Don't Mess with the Zohan and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, but because he can also occasionally show off some real acting chops as in 2007's Reign Over Me and Punch-Drunk Love. The number of movies he's producing and has in development under Happy Madison Productions are growing in number. And despite its premise, this summer's Funny People, which stars Sandler as a comedian dying of cancer who mentors a younger comedian, has quite a number of big names attached. Judd Apatow wrote, directed, and produced the film; Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill costar. Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski is behind the lens. So even though at first glance, I thought, "Adam Sandler, WTF?" it's clear that even though Sandler doesn't tickle my funny bone, he does have all the criteria for Forbes's list firmly in place.

Will Ferrell, who's #2, is getting more and more into production along with writing and acting, and launching FunnyorDie.com with director and writer Adam McKay was a watershed moment for viral video. HBO's investment in the website led to a deal with Ferrell and his FoD cohorts for a TV show - 10 episodes to be exact - which turned out to be the hit Eastbound and Down.

Ever since director Brett Ratner accidentally said something along the lines of making a Beverly Hills Cop 4 the kids can all enjoy, folks everywhere cried bloody murder -- afraid this latest installment in the action-comedy franchise would go PG-13 ... or, gasp, PG! But lately all those involved are dancing to a new, much darker tune, and it would appear the sequel will try its best to imitate the heart, soul and badassery of the original ... that is, according to co-writer Michael Brandt.

In an interview with Cine Fools, Brandt talks about the new Bev Cop 4 and the different drafts they've gone through, as well as how one of his older scripts, Dying Day, was re-tooled to ultimately become Beverly Hills Cop 4. On that original script, Brandt notes, "It was kind of a buddy cop thing set in LA with buddy FBI agents- but it wasn't jokey at all, it was pretty hardcore. Everybody died in the end and it was the kind of movie/script that everybody who read it really liked but nobody was ever going to make.. Too dark. And [Paramount] said they would like to turn Dying Day into Beverly Hills Cop 4." Everyone dies? Really? Does that mean Axel Foley may finally meet his demise?

Brandt does say that since then they've "gotten farther and farther away from our original script," and these days I can't see a studio killing off a franchise character just in case Eddie Murphy can still play Axel when he's 90. So don't freak out yet. Good news is the sequel will play it rough and dirty, and so long as Ratner doesn't completely muck it up, this is one R-rated cop flick I'm really looking forward to. You?

Uh, my name is Johnny Wish-Wishbone. Johnny Wishbone. And I am a psychic from the island of St. Croix. Yes, I am psychic from the island of St. Croix .. and you can follow me on Twitter.

[via Moviehole]

A few different sources (EW, Hitfix) have confirmed that Eddie Murphy will play legendary comedian Richard Pryor in a new drama called Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? for director Bill Condon, who's reuniting with Murphy following their 2006 hit Dreamgirls. Folks are pegging this as Murphy's return to drama, but I just don't see how serious a film about Richard Pryor could be. Sure, the guy had a long career full of ups and downs and sickness, but do we even want to see a straight-up drama about Richard Pryor? I don't. I kinda want to laugh a little, too. Fox Searchlight nabbed the film once The Weinstein Co. put it into turnaround, and Condon is eying a summer 2010 release.

Personally, I know Murphy used to do a fantastic Richard Pryor impersonation, and I hope the guy still has enough funky left in him to pull this one off right. The script is said to also feature roles for Pryor's four ex-wives, as well as Red Foxx. (Right now I sense Beyonce trying to wiggle her way in there somehow.) Check out a hysterical bit from Raw after the jump, in which Eddie does a little Richard Pryor -- then let us know what you think: Is Murphy the right person for this role?

In his continued quest to pursue proud family-friendly mediocrity, Eddie "Meet Dave" Murphy seems to be starring in a comic fantasy about a workaholic dad (Murphy) who neglects his pweecoshus daughter (Yara Shahidi) until imaginative elements of her creation begin to have an effect on his career. Is it called Bedtime Stories? No. Is it called Liar Liar? Nuh-uh. Is it called The Santa Clause? Nope, it's actually called Imagine That, and I'm afraid it's coming our way without a surprise in store.

Trailer Addict has the first footage from it (embedded below), and while it doesn't look necessarily bad (not Norbit bad, I mean), it does come off as an exceedingly bland effort for Murphy to mug and just act generally goofy at every turn. Normally, I'd insist that most moviegoers are above this (Meet Dave's theatrical gross fell under $12 million last summer), but Kevin James Falls Down, Goes Boom has just raked in $65 million to date, so, in the words of Kate Capshaw, anything goes.

Imagine That -- formerly called Nowhereland, perhaps too apt to describe Murphy's current career trajectory -- opens on June 12th.

Methinks the rumor-mongers are getting lazy -- this has to be one of the most ridiculous bunches of gossip that I've heard in a while, but (as usual) it's too amusing to not share.

The Sun actually claims to have the scoop on the next installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise. Once again, the Riddler's name is coming up, but instead of an intriguing choice like Johnny Depp, they say -- in all their infinite wisdom -- that it's Eddie Murphy. But just to make it even more unbelievable (and obnoxious) -- the report also states that Shia LaBeouf has signed on to play Robin.

I'd be utterly shocked if Nolan chose Murphy to be the Riddler; however, I'd be certain that Nolan had lost his mind if he decided to reinvent Batman Forever. That's just not his style, and why folks like Spielberg might love Shia, I think we can all agree that he would be an awkward choice for Robin -- if Nolan even considered the possibility. The Dark Knight made phenomenal progress with the world of superheroes when Heath Ledger provided the feature with such a layered performance, so we need someone with solid, intriguing, and dynamic talents. Any suggestions to give The Sun better material to run with? Oh, and in case you need us to spell it out for ya: This one ain't true.

Note: In cooler Batman news, though, Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill will voice The Joker in the new video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, while Kevin Conroy will voice Batman. Both have voiced the characters before; Hamill in animated Batman and Justice League programs and Conroy, well, for anything that wasn't a live-action movie.