Yes, that headline is factually correct. Eddie Murphy hasn't appeared on a cinema screen in four years.

You may have heard his dulcet tones in Shrek's Thrilling Tales since 2012's A Thousand Words, which we're almost 90% sure wasn't released here in Ireland. So, for us, you'd have to go back to 2011's Tower Heist to the last time Eddie Murphy appeared on your cinema screen.

Why that is is anyone's guess. However, it looks Murphy is finally making a comeback of sorts and he's doing it a little differently, to be honest. His first on-screen role in four years sees Murphy as a hired cook in '60s America who also doubles a minder for a young girl whose mother is battling cancer.

Directed by Bruce Beresford, who did Driving Miss Daisy and, uh, Double Jeopardy (shut up, it's a great film), Mr. Church sees Eddie Murphy in somewhat unfamiliar territory. In other words, this is Eddie Murphy in a serious role with a serious story behind it. The film premiered at Tribeca and will release a limited release in the US before it gets a VOD release. An Irish release hasn't been announced as of yet, but it's possible depending on its run in the US.

Could it be that Murphy is trying to relaunch and rebrand himself ala Matthew McConaughey? It's quite possible, to be honest.

Nobody would have guessed that Matthew McConaughey was going to become one of the best actors working today when he was doing Fool's Gold or How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days, right? The same could be said for Eddie Murphy in his Norbit / Daddy Day Care phase either. You go back and look at Trading Places, the first Beverly Hills Cop, Coming To America, 48. Hrs, even stuff like Best Defence or The Golden Child and it's clear he's got charisma to spare.

As well as serious fare like Mr. Church, there's also the long-awaited sequel to Twins with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger, which looks to be gathering dust in development hell, and the Richard Pryor biopic with Mike Epps and Kate Hudson. So, the question has to be asked, are we all ready for an Eddie Murphyaissance?