Of the world’s funniest comedians, Eddie Murphy ranks high on that list. Years back, the man was actually considered to be the funniest man alive. He sold out arenas, and his movies had you laughing till your ribs hurt.
But guess what? The comedian walked away from it all. No one holds any grudges, seeing that he hung up his boots at the absolute peak of his career. It was actually more of a personal decision, and his fans around the world, though disappointed, accepted this turn of events.
A Million Teasers
Either way, who wouldn’t love to see Eddie Murphy back on stage? He has teased his return a million times over, but the day never seems to dawn. Thanks to Netflix, however, the long wait could finally be over. They say good things take time, don’t they?
Going by reports by TMZ, Eddie is mighty close to partnering with the streaming platform in a deal that will see him pocket at least $70 million. If the partnership pulls through, this payday will see the comedy legend become the highest-earning stand-up comedian in the history of comedy. As one of the greats, this serves him right, doesn’t it?
The $70-million package is surely poised to set tongues wagging, seeing as it surpasses two other recent Netflix paydays. The platform had to part with $40 million to bring on Chris Rock for two specials, and even more ($60) to have Dave Chappelle on for three.
As it stands, no one is sure of exactly how many Netflix specials are part of Eddie Murphy’s deal, but what’s for certain is that the first one will be the one to watch out for. Why, you ask? Because it’ll be the man’s return to the stage after more than three decades of being away! Who would in their right mind want to miss that?
Interestingly, Murphy’s last stint was the eponymously named Eddie Murphy Raw, released in 1987. The one-and-a-half-hour show, to this date, remains the highest-grossing stand-up film of all time, earning $50.5 million. Adjusting for inflation, Eddie Murphy Raw grossed at $110.5 million in 2017.
All Praises for Murphy
Upon the show’s initial release, the LA Times and NYT were all praises for the comedy legend. That it did better than Eddy Murphy Delirious was proof enough that the comedian was headed in the right direction.
That the comedian hasn’t been doing his own shows doesn’t mean that he went on a media blackout. In fact, he was most recently on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (by Jerry Seinfeld), and he even spoke about his possible return into the ring. As Murphy put it, his return has to be perfect, and that he was working things out.
Seeing as Seinfeld’s show just so happens to be on Netflix, there have been talks of the streaming service partnering up the two comedy greats. What’s more, they have shown time and again that finances don’t tend to get in the way of what they want for their viewers, so the idea is totally plausible. Think of how great these two would be sharing a stage!
