Comedian Eddie Murphy is returning to television for the first scripted series of his vast career. He is set to lead The Chairman, a new drama from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner for Peacock.
Details on the series are being kept under wraps, but this will mark Weiner’s first series since The Romanoffs which only lasted one season on Amazon. Prior to that, Weiner had a celebrated run with AMC’s Mad Men which is often hailed as one of the greatest TV series ever made alongside The Sopranos which he also wrote and executive produced in its later seasons.
Murphy has starred on TV before for Saturday Night Live as well as his many stand-up performances, but this will be the first time he has starred in a scripted series, though at one point over a decade ago he did film a pilot for a Beverly Hills Cop series that was not picked up. His next project sees him reprising his beloved voice role as Donkey in next year’s Shrek 5 with the returning Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz alongside franchise newcomers Zendaya, Skyler Gisondo and Marcello Hernández as Shrek and Fiona’s teenaged children.
The Chairman will be executive produced by Murphy and Weiner with 101 Studios producing and Universal Television producing.
