Is Netflix Bringing Eddie Murphy Back To Standup?

It’s been over 30 years since Eddie Murphy’s last official standup comedy release, but a massive new deal may see the “Beverly Hills Cop” star take the mic once more.

In a new report, TMZ claims that Murphy and streaming juggernaut Netflix are deep into negotiations for "an undisclosed number of comedy specials" from the standup star. The website’s unnamed sources claim that the deal will be worth around $70 million, though they stress that there is not firm amount at this time. For comparison, Netflix paid $60 million for three specials from Dave Chappelle, and $40 million for two from Chris Rock.

This would certainly be a major moment for Murphy’s career. The actor’s last standup specials were over three decades ago: “Eddie Murphy: Delirious” in 1983 and “Eddie Murphy: Raw” in 1987. Since then, Murphy moved almost exclusively to acting.

Should this deal work out, it would be another major factor in Murphy’s plans for a big comeback in the near future, which Netflix is already a big part of. Murphy makes a guest appearance on the Season 10 premiere of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” with Jerry Seinfeld, which dropped on Netflix on Friday. He is also set to play Blaxploitation legend Rudy Ray Moore in the Netflix original biopic, “Dolemite Is My Name,” releasing later this year. Aside from these projects, Murphy will also reprise his iconic role for the sequel, “Coming 2 America,” in 2020. He has not appeared in a major studio release since the 2012 bomb, “A Thousand Words.”