Eddie Murphy is to play Rudy Ray Moore in a new biopic.
The 57-year-old actor – who was last seen in the 2016 film, ‘Mr Church’ – has signed on to star in the Netflix movie as Moore, who famously created the fictional kung-fu fighting pimp character Dolemite in the 1975 blaxploitation film of the same name.
The script is being written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the duo responsible for previous biographical movies ‘Big Eyes’ and ‘The People Vs. Larry Flynt’.
Moore – who died in October 2008 at the age of 81 – created the Dolemite character whilst he was working in a record store in the early 1970s from the stories he would hear from the pimps and gang members who frequented the shop and the street.
As making the movie – which became a cult classic and is cited as a favourite by hip hop artists such as Snoop Dogg, Insane Clown Posse and the Beastie Boys – Moore also released several songs under the Dolemite persona.
The roles Murphy accepts has become less frequent in recent years and the Hollywood legend admits he considers himself a "semi-retired gentleman of leisure" these days.
The ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ star said: "My whole s**t revolves around having this peace of mind. It’s peaceful, quiet, that’s my day-to-day. I play my guitar, hang out with my girl … I’m chilling, no stress.
"I don’t whore whore myself out as easily as I used to. I don’t think about money."
Eddie Murphy to star in Rudy Ray Moore biopic
