Eddie Murphy to Star as George Clinton in Upcoming Biopic

Eddie Murphy is set to star in an upcoming biopic about the famous frontman George Clinton.

The famed comedian is in talks to play the Parliament-Funkadelic founder in a new film for Amazon Studios. He is also set to produce the film.

Murphy called the film a “passion project” and will use his new three-film deal with Amazon Studios to get the movie into production, bringing his famous grin to the screen again.

Clinton, who is as flamboyant and “out there” as any globally known musician, will surely cause Murphy to stretch his mind and chops when it comes to the role (or roles, as Murphy is known to often play multiple characters in a single film. )

Coincidentally, rapper Wiz Khalifa is also set to play Clinton on screen in an upcoming film, Spinning Gold, a long-delayed biopic about the life of Casablanca Records founder and record executive Neil Bogart. According to reports, Samuel L. Jackson had been tied to the role when the movie was originally conceived under the guidance of Oscar-winning director Spike Lee. But that film is still in pre-production.

In 2019, Murphy starred as Rudy Ray Moore in the humorous biopic, Dolemite is My Name!

Clinton, who has not yet commented on either upcoming portrayal of his life, recently came back from retirement to announce upcoming Parliament-Funkadelic shows for (another) final tour, which is slated for this summer. Check out the dates for that below.

George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic 2022 Tour Dates:

06/15 – New York, NY @ Summerstage Central Park *
06/18 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall *
06/19 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium *
06/24 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s ^
06/25 – Indianapolis, IN @ Clowes Memorial Hall
06/26 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverfront Live #
06/30 – Asheville, NC @ Salvage Station $
07/02 – Pelham, TN @ The Caverns $
07/07 – Philadelphia, PA @ Fillmore !
07/22 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Wild Acre Live @
07/23 – Cedar Park, TX @ The Haute Spot @
08/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheater %
08/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ Craig Ranch Amphitheater &
08/17 – Inglewood, CA @ YouTube Theater ~
08/19 – Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery +
08/20 – Blue Lake, CA @ Blue Lake Casino +
08/21 – Napa, CA @ Charles Krug Winery ~

* = w/ Dopapod and Pimps of Joytime
^ = w/ The Floozies, The Motet, and Pimps of Joytime
# = w/ The Motet and Pimps of Joytime
$ = w/ The Motet, Dopapod, and Pimps of Joytime
! = w/ The Floozies and Pimps of Joytime
@ = w/ The Motet, Soul Rebels, and Pimps of Joytime
% = w/ The Motet, Fishbone, and Dopapod
& = w/ Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Fishbone, and The Fantastic Negrito
~ = w/ The Motet and Dopapod
+ = w/ Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The Motet and Dopapod

Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images