The Eddie Murphy Comeback Tour could include a literal tour, as the beloved comedian said he wants to head out on the road next year. It will be the latest step back in the public eye, as he will also host Saturday Night Live for the first time in 35 years in December. Murphy is also working on a sequel to Coming to America.
“Next year, in 2020, I’m going to go on the road and do some stand-up,” Murphy said in an episode of Netflix‘s Present Company with Krista Smith podcast, reports Entertainment Weekly. Murphy did not give any further details on the tour.
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The news that Murphy might tour soon is not a complete shock, since TMZ reported back in July that Murphy was in talks with Netflix to film a stand-up special. Sources close to Murphy told the site the deal would be around $70 million for multiple specials. By comparison, Dave Chappelle scored a $60 million deal for three specials in 2017, while Chris Rock was paid $40 million for two in 2016.
Murphy also told Jerry Seinfeld on Netflix’s Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee that he would be interested in picking up a microphone again.
“I’m going to do it again,” Murphy said, adding that the late Don Rickles told him he should perform again. “Everything just has to be right. You have to get up there and start working it out.”
Murphy is already working with Netflix, as the streamer will release his next film, Dolemite Is My Name.
Directed by Craig Brewer, the movie tells the story of comedian Rudy Ray Moore, the “Godfather of Rap” who became a star thanks to his 1970s blaxploitation character Dolemite. The movie is centered on Moore’s quest to make Dolemite and also stars Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, Snoop Dogg, Craig Robinson and Rock. It is scheduled for release on Netflix on Oct. 25.
Murphy will also work with Brewer again on Coming 2 America, a sequel to Murphy’s 1988 box office hit. James Earl Jones, Carcelle Beauvais, Snipes, Leslie Jones and Arsenio Hall also star in the movie, which is scheduled for Dec. 18, 2020.
It’s been years since Murphy has starred in a widely-seen movie. Since 2011’s Tower Heist, he made the box office flop A Thousand Words (2012) and the 2016 indie drama Mr. Church. He also reprised his role as Axel Foley in the 2013 Beverly Hills Cop TV pilot that did not get picked up.
It has been even longer since Murphy has done stand-up. As The AV Club notes, the closest thing he has done to stand-up since 1987 was his 2015 speech when he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Still, Murphy is a pioneer of the stand-up special, having made two of the most highly-regarded specials of all time. In 1983, HBO aired Eddie Murphy Delirious, which was followed by Eddie Murphy Raw in 1987. Raw saw a theatrical release and is still the highest-grossing stand-up film of all time, earning $50.5 million at the time.
Murphy’s appearance on SNL will air on Saturday, Dec. 21 on NBC.
Photo credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix
