Comedian Eddie Murphy is coming back not only to Saturday Night Live this coming season, but he is also planning a stand-up tour.
This tour is newsworthy because the current cancel culture tableau hasn’t been exactly welcoming to comics who made their bones in the ’80s. The critical reaction to Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special is an indicator of that fact.
Murphy revealed his stand-up announcement on the Present Company podcast. He went into detail about all of his projects, including a new film in the works getting some positive buzz.
Murphy was on the podcast to discuss the upcoming film, Dolemite Is My Name. Craig Brewer directs the film, written by Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.
The Netflix film is dedicated to his late brother Charlie Murphy and will screen at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
Dolemite Is My Name is a biopic revolving around the true story of comedian Rudy Ray Moore. The movie traces his efforts to get an outrageous character, Dolemite, described a “pimp with a cane and an arsenal of obscene fables,” made into a movie.
Joining Murphy in the film are Mike Epps, Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock, Keegan-Michael Key, Snoop Dogg, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
His anticipated sequel of the 1988 film Coming To America, which is also directed by Craig Brewer, has an August 2020 release date.
During the interview, Murphy discussed his return to SNL (it has been over 30 years) where he once was a regular cast member. The comedian will host this year’s Christmas episode.
Murphy made a brief appearance on SNL in 2015 for a special tribute for the show’s 40th anniversary but has not given a monologue since 1984, the last year he was on the show.
The tour, which has not been fleshed out with dates as of yet, will also reportedly feature music he will perform according to the podcast transcript. How far he will go in his comedy remains to be seen.
It will be interesting to see how the critics will rate his new stage material. Murphy has been absent from the stage since the late ’80s.
At age 58, he might have to tailor his material to a new, more sensitive crowd of millennials who might not appreciate his classic comedy.