Is There a Reason Eddie Murphy Keeps Getting Movie Roles?

With such classics as Meet Dave, Norbit, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Imagine That, Haunted Mansion, Life, Holy Man, Metro, & Vampire in Brooklyn how can you not like Eddie Murphy? Granted, he was great early in his career but that ship has long since sailed. He might have been good in "Dreamgirls" but come on! That's one legitimate movie along with all the Donkey voice work he did for the Shrek series. But wait, there's more....He has 6 more films scheduled to come out. One of them being Beverly Hills Cop IV which I believe might have been canceled(nothing official just yet) for many thinking that Murphy isn't bankable anymore.

You think I'm being overly harsh, don't you?
The Adventures of Pluto Nash(2002) cost $120 million to make. Theater Gross: 7.1 million. That's about a $112 million loss.




He has made about 18 films since Nutty Professor: The Klumps(2000). Besides voice work on the Shrek films(which is a supporting role) and a good role in "DreamGirls", he hasn't been successful. Well, you know "Norbit" went to number 1 it's first weekend but was slammed by critics and was only up against the crap prequel to "Silent of the Lambs", "Hannibal Rising".

Other than being critically panned for most all of his roles recently, he made an announcement that he's interested in doing another(take a deep breath) "Nutty Professor". Even going as far as stating, "We kind of wrote something that might be kind of funny. If the studios want to do it, we'll do it." That just reeks of confidence doesn't it? I thought that Jack Black's fake trailer(The Fatties) in the film "Tropic Thunder" was a good hint that playing multiple roles where everyone is the same, doesn't cut it.