Eddie Murphy.Photo: Rich Polk/NBC via Getty
Eddie Murphyis in talks to star in the next adaptation ofThe Pink Panther, according to reports.
Murphy would be following in the footsteps ofSteve Martinand Peter Sellers. The latter famously portrayed the bumbling detective in roughly half of the 11 movie installments,according to Deadline.
The news comes amid a big year for the actor. In early January, theComing 2 Americastar was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award at theGolden Globes.
“I’ve been in show business for 46 years, and I’ve been in the movie business for 41 years, so this has been a long time in the making and greatly appreciated,” Murphy said, thanking his partner Paige Butcher andhis 10 “amazing” children.
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
Later that month, the comedy icon revealed in an interview withEtalkthat he’d also be interested in reprising another role — this one his own — as Donkey in theShrekfranchise if the opportunity presented itself.
“I’d absolutely be open if they ever came with anotherShrek, I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey,” Murphy told Etalk.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“You know, they didPuss in Bootsmovies,” Murphy said. “I was like, ‘They should have done a Donkey movie. Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots.’ I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey.”
source: people.com
