Clues point to Eddie Murphy following in Peter Sellers and Steve Martin’s formidable footsteps, circling the role of inept inspector Clouseau in a new Pink Panther movie in development at the Amazon-owned MGM, multiple sources confirmed the media.
The iconic comedy-mystery franchise created for MGM by Blake Edwards has so far spanned 11 films and numerous fiberglass insulation commercials.
Jeff Fowler (Sonic the Hedgehog) will direct the new film from a screenplay by Chris Bremner. Dan Lin, Julie Andrews, Larry Mirisch and Jonathan Eirich are aboard as producers. Murphy takes on the Clouseau role that Sellers originated in the 1960s.
A source close to Murphy described the project as a natural fit for the actor, who has long admired the comedic performances of Sellers.
Murphy most recently starred opposite Jonah Hill, Julia-Louis Dreyfus and Lauren London in the Kenya Barris-directed ‘You People’, and before that he reprised his role as Prince Akeem for Prime Video’s ‘Coming 2 America’.
Next up is ‘Candy Cane Lane’ for Amazon and he will team with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Netflix’s ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’.
