TICKLED PINK

Eddie Murphy Set to Star as Iconic Comedy Character

The actor will follow in the footsteps of Peter Sellers and Steve Martin.

Eddie Murphy revealed that he will be starring in the new Pink Panther movie as Inspector Clouseau. The SNL alum, 64, announced his upcoming role as the wacky French inspector on the Today show Monday, taking interviewer Al Roker by surprise. “I’m Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Panther,” Murphy stated, eliciting a shocked “wait, what?” from Roker. “Yeah, I’m the new Clouseau,” Murphy confirmed. Roker asked the veteran actor if he was going to be French in the movie, to which he vaguely replied “maybe,” before adding, “Well, he has to be French, but he could also be Haitian. I will tell you, he’s Black. He’s Black, for sure.” The Beverley Hills Cop actor had reportedly been in talks to star in the Pink Panther movie back in 2023. Now, he has confirmed that he will be taking on the iconic character of Clouseau, which originated in 1963 with Peter Sellers. Sellers reprised the role in multiple sequels until his death in 1980, and Steve Martin later played Clouseau in the 2006 Pink Panther reboot and its 2009 sequel. Murphy is also set to star in an upcoming biopic as funk music icon George Clinton and return as Donkey in the upcoming Shrek movie.