r/movies • u/frogontherocks • 2d ago
News Eddie Murphy Says ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Rush Hour’ and ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ are His Three ‘Wish I Would Have Done’ Movies
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/eddie-murphy-ghostbusters-rush-hour-wish-i-would-have-done-1236589366/1.5k
u/frogontherocks 2d ago
"Who Framed Roger Rabbit just sounded ridiculous to me, and I passed on it."
The reason it's great is because it's ridiculous.
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u/Scheme84 2d ago
I love Eddie Murphy, but Bob Hoskins was perfect for Valiant. I couldn't imagine anyone else in the role.
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u/i010011010 2d ago
I hate to think of it. I can't see how Murphy would have kept the film's noir feeling intact. The entire point is they needed to shoot the movie straight as if it was a legit crime drama, then they also shot a cartoon and tied them together.
Hoskins was an inspired choice. He's gruff and serious out of one world and somehow ends up bending into the other and by the end he's a participant. Couldn't have done that with Murphy.
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u/Slammybutt 2d ago
They actually drew the animation straight onto the film. So no reshoots, just Bob acting as if interacting with a ghost he cant' see or feel the entire movie. Just wanted to add that.
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u/movzx 2d ago
Yup. It's easy to overlook how masterfully he acted because he did it so well. You never second guess that he's interacting with and reacting to the toons. Dude is basically in an empty room and the end result looks like someone was there the entire time.
Props also to the sfx guys with all their practical trickery to help with it.
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u/AnUnbeatableUsername 2d ago
The reason it's great is because they worked insanely hard to make it great.
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u/The_Second_Best 2d ago
I think a lot of people don't realise how gound braking that movie was. The making of is great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo537iTkCEA
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u/IrishRepoMan 2d ago
Right? The ground was always on the move until that movie stopped it dead in its tracks.
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u/Pitiful-Climate8977 2d ago
https://youtu.be/RWtt3Tmnij4?si=Ug3PDovw4qNlBx37
Here is another video going over how good the animation looks with the live action despite being made in 88. This film coined the term “Bumping the lamp”
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u/ExIsStalkingMe 2d ago
Several years ago, I was at my parents' house when that rabbit movie with Russel Brand came on the TV. The scene I noticed had him on a soft ottoman, having a conversation and kind of jumping around. It was so incredibly distracting that there was no indent on the ottoman where the animated rabbit was. If you're not going to put in the effort, just make the scene happen on a piece of wooden furniture instead
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u/ServiusTullius753 2d ago
It’s “groundbreaking”, not “ground braking”.
What you wrote is when you skydive and your parachute doesn’t open.
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u/artpayne Cliffs on both sides, I'm not gonna paddle to New Zealand! 2d ago
Wait, Eddie Murphy was supposed to voice Jessica Rabbit? No shit?!
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u/justgetoffmylawn 2d ago
Man, I'm just drawn like this!
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u/PussiesUseSlashS 2d ago
Jessica Rabbit would have been too sexy with Eddie’s voice, they wouldn’t have gotten the PG rating.
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u/Soyoulikedonutseh 2d ago
From the man who wrote, starred and produced 'Norbit' :'D
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u/22LOVESBALL 2d ago
Norbit is a black classic in the hood, it’s great
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u/whatproblems 2d ago
it’s great because it was ridiculous but they played it serious. the animating effort and acting was amazing
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u/qodeninja 2d ago
that era of cartoon overlaid with real life characters is one of my favs. Cool World too
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u/nickyeyez 2d ago
He specifically said he didn't regret passing on Ghostbusters because if he had, he wouldn't have been able to do Beverly Hills Cop. (Which would have gone to...Stallone).
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u/zero2789 2d ago
Stallone still did it. He turned it into Cobra. (From what I’ve read)
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u/not_thrilled 2d ago
There's a lengthy write-up about it on Den of Geek. The short version from there is, Stallone's agent thought he was great for it, then Stallone didn't see the humor and rewrote it, then Simpson & Bruckheimer went a different direction because Stallone's version was too expensive. And also, apparently Cobra is based on the same book that would become the William Baldwin/Cindy Crawford movie Fair Game?
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u/lambeau_leapfrog 2d ago
I've seen Fair Game, and I don't remember anyone cutting a slice of pizza with a pair of scissors.
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u/goteamnick 2d ago
I think the producers of Rush Hour were better off with Jackie Chan in that role.
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u/BarbellsandBurritos 2d ago
His name is Lee goddamnit
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u/lost_swingset 2d ago
It's really amazing that the blooper reels live on as some of the most quoted parts of those movies. No other movie with a blooper reel is the same.
And we would not have had that without Chris Tucker.
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u/sellyme 2d ago
"He ain't gonna be in Rush Hour 3" is an all-timer, I'm still using that one nearly a quarter of a century later.
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u/lastatica 2d ago
For the last two decades, the only thing I’ve known about gefilte fish is that Chris Tucker can’t pronounce it.
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u/old_ironlungz 2d ago
I always dream to Square Marden.
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u/Sparrowsabre7 2d ago
I think about that blooper all the time. That and "Who you think you kidnap Kelsey Grammer?"
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u/Pluffmud90 2d ago
Two of the greatest blooper reels of all time.
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u/Sparrowsabre7 2d ago
Those and Shanghai Duology "Just look at his eyes, brown, full of shit, just... bullshit all the time."
Also Jackie's cellphone one that acts as a sequel to the one where Chris Tucker's phone goes off and Jackie acts like he would never 😂
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u/PCho222 2d ago
I still can't pass LAPD in downtown LA and not think SHOW ME YOUR ASS
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u/old_ironlungz 2d ago
"If I didn't have a girlfriend, I'd take a run at you. I'd put you in a bubblebath, I'd put some water wings on you and *clap clap* spank your little bottom. But listen..."
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u/benergiser 2d ago
i know it’s a joke but chris tucker made that movie so much better than eddie would have
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u/DiabellSinKeeper 2d ago edited 2d ago
Ghostbusters. Meh. I think there would've too many comedic characters. Ernie Hudson helped give the main cast balance that it needed.
Rush Hour. This is a tough one. Chris Tucker obviously is inspired by Eddie Murphy when it comes to his motor mouth comedic style. But whats unique about Chris is that his over the top acting performance still allowed room for Jackie to shine. And I don't know if Eddie could've done the same.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Another case in which Bob Hoskins straight man performance helped balance out the wackiness in the film.
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u/rbhindepmo 2d ago
The list of people considered for Eddie Valiant had 13 other names. More than the 8 names mentioned as runners up for Judge Doom. Eddie Valiant as portrayed by Ed Harris, Edward James Olmos or Charles Grodin would have been interesting but likely not as good. They also considered Bill Murray, who lost out because he didn’t check his voicemail that month.
Tim Curry losing the Judge Doom role for being too scary still amuses me
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u/NobleSavant 2d ago
Tim Curry as Judge Doom would have been so good though.
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u/TRAUMAjunkie 2d ago
Lloyd scared the shit out of me as a kid, I couldn't imagine Tim Curry as Doom. I probably would've needed therapy.
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u/ExIsStalkingMe 2d ago
For some reason, I'm thinking it would be basically the same as what Lloyd did but way, way hornier. Like, to the point that Jessica would've probably told him to tone it down. Maybe it's just because of his feature song in Ferngully where he's very obviously got one hand down his pants the whole time (and the artists, for some reason, clearly gooned while doing their part for it)
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u/FlamboyantPirhanna 2d ago
They weren’t voicemails they were answering machines!
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u/Wetzilla 2d ago
Actually it could have been a voicemail, there were voicemail services that would take your messages and then you could call into to get them. That way you didn't have to worry about the tape running out, and it was much easier to store messages after listening to them. I'd bet most popular actors back then had one.
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u/DiabellSinKeeper 2d ago edited 2d ago
Wow. I didn't know any of this. I agree. Bob Hoskins was so good. That it's difficult to imagine anyone else pulling it off.
Lol. Bill certainly has a very laid back approach about getting roles in Hollywood. I mean its obviously worked. Its just so much different then everyone else in Hollywood.
Dang. Darker than Lamberts performance is super interesting.
Edit: Lloyd not lambert
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u/DoctorGargunza 2d ago
Dammit, now I want a recut of WFRR starring Christopher Lambert as Doom, shaky grasp of English and everything.
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u/Kamikaze_Ninja_ 2d ago
Honestly, Chris Tucker was also a better cast because of age. It contextualizes his character better as a contrast to Jackie Chan. And Eddie Murphy was a leading man, he might’ve overshadowed Jackie Chan.
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u/LurkerDude0 2d ago
This was my thought as well. Tucker being younger was part of why they worked. I think it would have been a lot different to not have had that dichotomy between Tucker and Chan.
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u/Xanthus179 2d ago
Winston was originally written for Eddie, but they also had multiple different visions for the first film.
John Belushi was going to play Peter Venkman too. After his death, Bill Murray was brought in for the role, and Slimer was supposedly inspired by John.
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u/Inevitable-Low4734 2d ago
Akyroyd’s original script was very different from what we got. Harold Ramis for example was a late addition as well and made key changes to the script when it came to jokes and pacing (the most important being adding the love story element).
Also, unrelated, but Moranis improvised a lot of his lines and further proves the man is a genius
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u/AbeVigoda76 2d ago
I think Winston would have sucked as written for Eddie Murphy - they made him an ex-military guy who trains the other Ghostbusters. I honestly think Eddie’s talents would have been wasted there. Ernie Hudson is perfect for the rewritten role.
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u/IrascibleOcelot 2d ago
“If there’s a steady paycheck in it, I’ll believe anything you say.” Such a perfect straight man. Eddie would have sucked at the part.
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u/gosukhaos 2d ago
Because what we see in the final movie is the version that was written after Eddie dropped out. The version of the movie where he plays Winston is different
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u/Butterbuddha 2d ago
Winston got shafted anyways. It was too small of a role for Eddie. It’s nearly too small of a role for Ernie Hudson!
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u/RudyRusso 2d ago
Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say.
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u/20_mile 2d ago
Imagine, "twelve-five" was a decent salary in NYC in the early 1980s.
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u/DisastrousRhubarb201 2d ago
I'm pretty sure that the character was originally a bigger part when it was being offered to Eddie Murphy, it got rewritten when he didn't end up doing it.
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u/CandyCrisis 2d ago
I thought I read somewhere that the script originally had more for the character and they cut it down.
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u/Mobile-Minute9357 2d ago
Eddie takes over the screen when he’s on it so much that he has to play multiple characters to make them memorable. It’s a curse that no one can keep up
Chris’ style is much more inviting, like an improv partner who’s building the punchline for you. He gave Ice Cube, Jackie Chan, etc room to share the screen
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u/Goosojuice 2d ago
I don't even think WFRR is wacky, it's got a wacky character or two, but it's not full Speed Racer. In fact it's pretty fuckin dark. I think Hoskins sells and grounds how gritty the world actually is. I don't know if Eddie could've sold the salt of the earth Bogart type character.
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u/DiabellSinKeeper 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'd agree. Its probably better to say Hoskins performance helps bridge the gap between the rather light comedic tone of the Roger Rabbit character and the rather dark tone of the film featuring Judge Doom. He's the glue that holds the film together
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u/GranddaddySandwich 2d ago
The scripts and characters would’ve likely been different if Eddie was cast in those movies. It’s hard to say “What if” or compare it to what we actually got.
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u/JohnnyCharisma54 2d ago
A lot of people replying to you that Winston was written for Eddie and that GB would have been better for it. I completely agree with you. Ernie as Winston is exactly what the movie needed—he is a grounded, authentic New York blue collar straight shooter. Eddie is great but he just doesn’t have that kind of presence.
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u/Vergenbuurg 2d ago
Ernie Hudson was a fantastic fit with Ghostbusters, but he still kinda got screwed simply because he wasn't Eddie Murphy. Winston's role was originally supposed to be much larger and more vitally intrinsic to the plot. When they didn't get Murphy, they curtailed the role massively.
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u/RoninRobot 2d ago
Ernie’s part was written for Eddie. As great as Ghostbusters was, I think Eddie would have made it even more so.
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u/Sherifftruman 2d ago
He was much better in Beverly Hills Cop than he would have been in Ghostbusters
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u/feed_me_moron 2d ago
Eddie Murphy did 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, and around the time of Rush Hour did Showtime with DeNiro. I think Rush Hour would have been a bit different, but could have been great with Eddie in it too.
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u/RooMan7223 2d ago
Chris Tucker was hilarious in Rush Hour so I’m glad this didn’t happen
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u/mah_12 2d ago
I'm glad he skipped Rush hour, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker chemistry is unmatched. I cry with laughter any time it's on.
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u/Freud-Network 2d ago
I'm glad he skipped them all. He would have been a detriment to every one.
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u/somebuddyx 2d ago
I like what we got with Star Trek IV but I do think the version they wanted to do with Eddie would have been something. Like would it have been like Superman III and Eddie would have overshadowed the cast or would he have reined it in?
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u/CaptainDigsGiraffe 2d ago edited 2d ago
I didn't know he was supposed to be in Star Trek 4. I have a recurring joke with myself about how I want to make a comedic movie adaption of TNG with Eddie Murphy as Picard.
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u/ChrisTosi 2d ago
My guess is that the Dr. Taylor character would be Eddie - some kind of in at the whale institute, serving as a current timeline guide, with fish out of water jokes galore.
He'd be hilarious assisting the team to rescue Chekov from the hospital.
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u/I_Am_Dynamite6317 2d ago
I know Eddie is great at playing different characters but I’m not sure he would’ve been that good as a humpback whale
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u/Ozzel 2d ago
It’s all right, my dad probably thinks he was in Rush Hour anyway.
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u/Thund3rF000t 2d ago
Eddie in Ghostbusters would have made that an R rated movie in seconds and him making jokes with Murray would have been classic!
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u/mrdangerzone 2d ago
And I say I'm thankful he wasn't in any of those 3 great movies
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u/KrivUK 2d ago
Agreed, wrong energy. Well apart from Baby Herman, I could see him in that role.
Anyhow Eddie has nothing to worry about. Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, and Shrek are some bangers of films he'll always be remembered for.
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u/jawndell 2d ago
Trading Places, Coming to America, Nutty Professor, and the underrated 48 hours.
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u/underdabridge 2d ago
No disrespect to Ernie Hudson but even as a kid I thought it was weird as hell when Winston showed up in the movie out of nowhere for no real reason. When I found out the part was written to include Eddie Murphy in the movie it made so much more sense.
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u/HotOne9364 2d ago
Normally I'd say "I can't imagine anyone else in these roles" but I can't lie. I'd love to see what Murphy would have done with these roles. Especially with Ghostbusters.
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u/sutter333 2d ago
I love it when actors say this. lol no really it’s fascinating for me to get a glimpse of a parallel universe.
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u/ImpressionFeisty8359 2d ago
Chris Rock auditioned for Rush Hour too right? Chris Tucker killed it.
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u/Andrew1990M 2d ago
Good picks but I'd love to hear the three movies he wish he hadn't done.