They say that variety is the spice of life, which is a phrase that can certainly be applied to one Eddie Murphy. Having performed as a stand-up comic, singer, director and of course, actor, the 53-year old star has certainly dabbled in a range of different mediums. Plus, with the likes of Triplets — the quasi-sequel to 1988’s Twins — and Beverly Hills Cop 4 on the horizon, it looks as though Murphy is gradually returning to his comedic roots.
Before his appearance in those aforementioned continuations, the comic-slash-actor is set to star in something a little more serious: Bruce Beresford’s morbid drama, The Cook. Telling the tale of who a dying man who hires Murphy’s titular chef, the film will see Murphy providing meals to his girlfriend and daughter.
Speaking to Empire, the actor praised the script and claimed that The Cook is very much a character-driven project.
“It’s a great screenplay,” Canton told Empire when we had cause to speak to him recently. “It’s a small story – a true story – of a family and a guy who comes into their lives. You have to come up with either really great big franchise driven movies or little character driven movies. Those are the two businesses to be in. I’m in both. You don’t like to be caught in the middle.”
While we don’t know an awful lot in terms of story or indeed potential casting, The Cook is certainly promising. After all, this announcement marks Eddie Murphy’s first return to a more drama-oriented role since his involvement in Dreamgirls all the way back in 2006, so it’ll be interesting to see how the final product shapes up.
We understand that The Cook will begin filming towards the end of next month, until then, you can share your thoughts on Murphy’s casting in the comments.
