Superhero movies are moving into theaters at an astonishing rate. The next few years will only bring more comics movies to theaters, with both Marvel and DC moving to three movies a year by 2018. This means a minimum of six superhero movies every year, and that does not include the X-Men universe films from Fox or other adaptations such as Kingsman: The Golden Circle next year. As comic book films continue to rise in popularity, studios will be in need of more actors to fill them, and have already begun targeting some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
One of the reasons comic book movies have succeeded is their ability to move between different kinds of stories. There have been political thrillers, space operas, heist films, and parodies, and if a studio is hoping to get Eddie Murphy in a role, they will need to find a comedic movie or role for him to agree to do so.
Murphy is one of the most recognizable comedic actors of the last few decades, but recently took a turn in a dramatic role for Mr. Church. While speaking to Mashable about the movie, he was asked if a superhero role could be in his future. He acknowledges that he is probably too old to play the leading man in one of these mega blockbusters, but a smaller and comedic role would certainly get him interested.
“I’m kind of long in the tooth to fly in in a cape now, so I’d have to be like the voice of reason or somebody. “Don’t do that, super-fellow! Or we need such-and-such.” I would do a superhero movie if it was funny and we were making fun of superhero movies and I figured out how to do something funny. But even I don’t buy me flying in with a cape on and you know, fucking everybody up, having lasers shoot out.”
While it is unlikely that a studio comes calling for Murphy to play a superhero, a comedic supporting role is certainly a possibility. Most of these movies now have some sort of comedic relief, no matter how serious the film is intended to be. If Murphy is serious about getting involved in a funny role or superhero movie, his next chance could be in something like Deadpool 2.
One role that could be a possibility, if there are plans to bring him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, could be Bill Foster. There have been no indications of whether or not Peyton Reed has plans to bring in one of Hank Pym’s pals into Ant-Man and the Wasp, but if they do, Murphy could be a great fit. At 55, he is 16 years younger than Michael Douglas, so he could have been a former apprentice to Pym prior to Darren Cross becoming the promising partner. He is also just a few years older than Paul Rudd, so they could in turn be buds in their own right. Plus, with Ant-Man figuring out the ability to become Giant-Man, having Bill Foster, who eventually becomes Goliath in the comics, be a helping hand to figuring that out would be a nice touch in the sequel.
Fans of Murphy’s and superhero movies in general will have to wait and see whether or not he gets cast in an upcoming film. If he does, we will certainly update those interested.
Mr. Church is currently playing in theaters.
Source: Mashable
