Eddie Murphy is reportedly set to portray Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton in an upcoming biopic.

According to Deadline, Murphy will co-produce the film alongside Catherine and John Davis, the latter of whom the comedian worked with on 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name. The project is still in its early stages, with the trio of producers currently “tying down rights with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and then they will set writers and shop the project.”

The movie will chronicle Clinton’s entire life, from his “humble beginnings in North Carolina in the 1940s to the formation of his groundbreaking bands Parliament and Funkadelic and ultimately to becoming a major influence on artists of the hip-hop generation including Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Outkast and Wu-Tang Clan, among many others.”

Known for his otherworldly presence -- including wild fashion and a unique sense of humor -- Clinton emerged in the ‘70s as a funk powerhouse. In a career spanning more than 50 years, the prolific musician released 10 studio albums with Parliament, an additional 14 with Funkadelic and another 10 as a solo artist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

Deadline notes that the Clinton biopic is a “passion project” for the comedian. The duo previously worked together on The PJs, an animated stop-motion TV show which ran for three seasons before its cancellation in 2001. The series was created by and starred Murphy, while Clinton provided its theme music.

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