As we reported last week, we discovered that actor comedian Eddie Murphy is circling around a new biopic film to be produced by Brian Grazer of Imagine Films Entertainment, and that film is shaping up to be about James Brown.
As we reported, Murphy is said to be extremely interested in taking this role because he feels that this is a great chance for him to not only show his true acting chops, but hopefully the film will give him a great chance to be mentioned- and possibly win- an Academy Award. This thought process follows the path that Hollywood has shown love to many films that featured comedians in dramatic roles and most recently that coveted role and Award went to Jamie Foxx in the Ray Charles biopic film titled Ray. As we all know, Foxx walked away with the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Feature Film.
It’s a sure bet that Murphy is looking for that same chance for several reasons; one reason is when Foxx was cast as Ray Charles his depiction of him was so convincing, he was almost a shoo-in for the Award. Second, anyone who knows the comedy of Murphy also knows that he has been impersonating Brown for over 20 years with a dead-on impression that many believe is the best impression of James Brown to date by anyone. (See Murphy’s HBO performance of Brown on Delirious.)
In the past week, we have just discovered that the film has been positioned for Director and co-owner of Image Entertainment, Ron Howard to helm. Word is he is interested but there has been no offer yet because the film is still being written, and sources have told us that Paramount and Imagine believe that Murphy would probably have a great chance for an Oscar if he is working on this film with a Director he is most comfortable with. No word on who that is. After all- it was stated to us- no one wants Murphy to walk out of the Academy Awards ceremony like he did when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his Dreamgirls performance (that we have to say he should have won) when he discovered he had lost.
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