Eddie Murphy

There are tons of hilarious Black movies. They’ve made three of the Barbershop movies, Kevin Hart can’t seem to stay out of theaters, and we could rattle off an endless array of Eddie Murphy quotes from films. But what are the best? What are the movies that you can’t go to any BBQ or hair salon without hearing quotes and references? There are almost too many to consider, but we whittled it down to ten. These are our picks for the funniest Black comedies of all time.

I remain unconvinced that we will ever see a Beverly Hills Cop 4. Beverly Hills Cop 3 came out in 1994 and made just $42 million in the U.S. against a $50 million budget. It was also terrible, although that last part has never stopped a studio from making further sequels before. Still it’s more than 20 years since we saw Axel Foley patrolling the streets of Beverly Hills. Wouldn’t he be retired by now?

Just last week, a profile of Eddie Murphy shed light on his declining the role of Bill Cosby for SNL’s 40th anniversary event, citing his disinterest with denigrating the fallen idol any further. That pudding appears to have spilled however, as Murphy put on his best Cosby to accept the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize.

For as much hype as SNL garnered in returning so many past alum for its 40th anniversary special, Eddie Murphy’s long-awaited return seemed curiously brief. Norm MacDonald since explained that the revered comedian had declined to portray Bill Cosby in the all-star Celebrity Jeopardy sketch, and now Murphy himself explains the decision.

A Richard Pryor biopic has been in development for at least a decade now, with a couple of different actors and stars attached at various points. Pryor himself was involved in developing the film before his passing, but with director Lee Daniels attached the biopic is finally beginning to take shape and move forward, with Mike Epps officially locked down to star as the iconic comedian.

We’ve been hearing about the Twins sequel for a long time now, but it’s been a while since we’ve gotten an update. Josh Gad was hired to write the screenplay, but back in January the writer and actor said that Universal had put the project on hold for the time being — even though everyone loves the script. “Everyone” also apparently includes Eddie Murphy, as Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed that his potential co-star is thrilled with the idea for Triplets.

Well, this isn’t entirely surprising. Last year, Paramount announced a formal release date for Beverly Hills Cop 4, the first new installment in the franchise since 1994's Beverly Hills Cop 3. But then Eddie Murphy got to talking about it, and talking about it some more — most notably with Rolling Stone back in January, when he said he wasn’t doing the sequel…not without a good script, anyway. And Paramount apparently agrees, as they’ve taken Beverly Hills Cop 4 off their release schedule.

SNL episodes are hard, often frenzied work, so you can imagine the sort of time and dedication and stress that went into the SNL 40 show, which featured new and former cast members along with several guest stars. One of the highlights of the three and a half hour event was the return of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” with Norm MacDonald, Will Ferrell and Darrell Hammond reprising their iconic sketch roles alongside fellow SNL stars, including Kenan Thompson doing a hilarious (and timely) Bill Cosby impression. But according to MacDonald, Thompson wasn’t originally supposed to be in the sketch: Eddie Murphy was.

Merciful Zeus, if you thought Eddie Murphy returning to ‘SNL’ after 31 years for the 40th anniversary special on February 15 was big enough, wait until you get a load of the full roster. Rivaling turnout for the Emmys and Oscars combined, the upcoming ‘SNL’ reunion will feature everyone from legendary alumni like Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Chevy Chase, to favorite hosts like Alec Baldwin, and even Taylor Swift, why not!

NBC has remained curiously quiet on ‘SNL’’s three-hour 40th Anniversary special on February 15, and while cameos galore are expected, our first major homecoming may have arrived. Following a 31-year absence, Eddie Murphy will reportedly return to ‘SNL’ to ring in the NBC sketch comedy legend’s 40th anniversary.