'Coming To America' sequel, a Netflix movie - is he ending his exile once and for all?
In Ireland alone, Eddie Murphy's last theatrically-released film was eight years ago, with the disappointing 'Tower Heist'.
His most recent film, 'Mr. Church', never saw a release here in Ireland and was generally overlooked by critics and audiences in the US. 'A Thousand Words', which was universally panned on its release in 2012, never reached cinemas in Ireland or the UK.
By his own admission, Eddie Murphy's admitted that he's been keeping a low profile and avoiding the spotlight, preferring to pop up for an interview or two and very often speaking in a calm, mellow tone - far removed from the energy of his days on 'SNL' or his stand-up specials.
At 57 years of age and a filmography that includes box-office smashes like 'Beverly Hills Cop', 'Coming To America' and 'Shrek', Murphy appears to be in no rush to prove himself to audiences, leaving aside the recent failures.
His next movie is a Netflix original, which sees Murphy play comedian Rudy Ray Moore in 'Dolemite Is My Name', a biographical comedy set during the blaxploitation era of the '70s. The movie is directed by Craig Brewer and written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, both of whom wrote 'Ed Wood', 'The People Vs. Larry Flynt' and the first season of 'American Crime Story'.
After that comes 'Coming To America 2', a sequel to John Landis' much-beloved comedy that sees Murphy return as Prince Akeem of Zamunda, along with Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones and John Amos in their respective roles.
While it's just two movies, one of which is a Netflix-only release, Eddie Murphy may finally be ending his self-imposed exile. The question now is whether he's still got the same charisma and infectious humour that came so naturally to him in the past.