*Netflix released on Monday a trailer for “Dolemite Is My Name,” starring Eddie Murphy as the actor behind the 1970s blaxploitation film character.
Late actor and musician Rudy Ray Moore was the original filmmaker and star of the 1975 movie “Dolemite.” He was also considered the “Godfather of Rap,” as hip-hop artists often sample his music.
Here’s a breakdown of Murphy’s Netflix project:
Stung by a string of showbiz failures, floundering comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Academy Award nominee Eddie Murphy) has an epiphany that turns him into a word-of-mouth sensation: step onstage as someone else. Borrowing from the street mythology of 1970s Los Angeles, Moore assumes the persona of Dolemite, a pimp with a cane and an arsenal of obscene fables. However, his ambitions exceed selling bootleg records deemed too racy for mainstream radio stations to play. Moore convinces a social justice-minded dramatist (Keegan-Michael Key) to write his alter ego a film, incorporating kung fu, car chases, and Lady Reed (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), an ex-backup singer who becomes his unexpected comedic foil. Despite clashing with his pretentious director, D’Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes), and countless production hurdles at their studio in the dilapidated Dunbar Hotel, Moore’s Dolemite becomes a runaway box office smash and a defining movie of the Blaxploitation era.
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Eddie Murphy, @KeeganMKey, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Da’ Vine Joy Randolph, and @wesleysnipes star in Dolemite is My Name — the incredible true story of Rudy Ray Moore pic.twitter.com/oPijWiA23R
— See What’s Next (@seewhatsnext) August 12, 2019
Directed by Craig Brewer (“Hustle and Flow”), this Murphy-driven depiction also stars Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, T.I., Chris Rock, Snoop Dogg, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and more. Scroll up and watch the trailer above.
“Dolemite Is My Name” will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before arriving at select theaters (as well as Netflix) later this fall.
Murphy’s most recent performance was the 2016 drama “Mr. Church.” He has since announced the sequel to his 1988 hit “Coming to America,” with James Earl Jones and Arsenio Hall reprising their roles from the original film. The last time Murphy led a great film was with 1999’s “Bowfinger.”
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME. In select theaters and on @Netflix this fall. pic.twitter.com/fyCZToecPq
— Netflix Film (@NetflixFilm) August 12, 2019
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