Netflix has shared the official trailer of its upcoming biographical comedy, Dolemite Is My Name. Starring the illustrious Eddie Murphy as Blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore, the film follows the late comedian’s rise as his prolific character Dolemite in the 1970s:
"Stung by a string of showbiz failures, floundering comedian Rudy Ray Moore (Academy Award nominee Eddie Murphy) has an epiphany that turns him into a word-of-mouth sensation: step onstage as someone else. Borrowing from the street mythology of 1970s Los Angeles, Moore assumes the persona of Dolemite, a pimp with a cane and an arsenal of obscene fables. However, his ambitions exceed selling bootleg records deemed too racy for mainstream radio stations to play. Moore convinces a social justice-minded dramatist (Keegan-Michael Key) to write his alter ego a film, incorporating kung fu, car chases, and Lady Reed (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), an ex-backup singer who becomes his unexpected comedic foil. Despite clashing with his pretentious director, D’Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes), and countless production hurdles at their studio in the dilapidated Dunbar Hotel, Moore’s Dolemite becomes a runaway box office smash and a defining movie of the Blaxploitation era."
Joining Murphy, Key and Snipes is an impressive roster of supporting acts such as Next Friday’s Mike Epps, The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Craig Robinson, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Tituss Burgess, rapper and businessman Snoop Dogg, Luke Cage’s Ron Cephas Jones, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Barry Shabaka Henley, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Kodi Smit-Mcphee, rapper and actor T.I., comedian Luenell and Empire’s Tasha Smith. The flick is helmed by Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer, written by The People v. O.J. Simpson creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and produced by Golden Globe nominees John Davis, John Fox and Murphy himself.
Watch the full trailer above. Dolemite Is My Name premieres this Fall on Netflix and in select theaters.
In other entertainment news, Todd Phillips’ Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix will be making its world premiere this month.