Eddie Murphy to play funk legend George Clinton in upcoming biopic
Disney/Randy Holmes
Eddie Murphy has reportedly signed on to play a funk music icon on screen.
Variety reports that the actor/comedian is set to star as Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton in a biopic directed by Bill Condon, the same director who directed Murphy in Dreamgirls, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination.
The film, which Murphy will also produce, will be based on Clinton’s 2014 memoir Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You?
Clinton, who launched his funk career in the ’70s as one of the founding members of the collective known as Parliament-Funkadelic, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. He and the band were also honored in 2019 with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Universal Pictures, the production company behind Wicked, has shut down rumors of a pay gap between the movie’s two stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder,” a spokesperson from Universal told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday. “The women received equal pay for their work on ‘WICKED.'”
Speculation about unequal salaries began circulating on platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and social platform X , with claims that Erivo earned $1 million compared to Grande’s $15 million.
The rumors gained traction after being picked up by some news outlets. While Universal did not disclose the exact salaries of the co-stars, the studio firmly denied any pay inequities.
Wicked is the highly anticipated movie adaptation of the 2003 Broadway musical, originally starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, which itself is based on Gregory Maguire‘s 1995 novel.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film features an all-star cast, including Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard.
Released in theaters on Friday, Wicked draws inspiration from Maguire’s novel, which is a revisionist prequel to The Wizard of Oz.
The film earned a staggering $164 million globally during its opening weekend, making it the third-largest opening weekend ever, following Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2, according to The Associated Press.
Fans can look forward to Wicked: Part Two, set to hit theaters on November 21, 2025.
Essence Atkins stars on the new sitcom Poppa’s House with Damon Wayans Sr. and his namesake son, Damon Wayans Jr. As one would imagine, her experience working with the comedians on set has been nothing short of laughter.
“It’s fun. We laugh all day. We try to make each other laugh all day. We are constantly kind of mining for what is funny and trying things. And sometimes they work and sometimes we know they don’t,” she tells ABC Audio. “We make fun of ourselves, but it’s such a playful atmosphere.”
This energy permeates across the screen to viewers, as she says the show is for “people who want to laugh” and “people who feel like the world is worlding and … need to laugh.“
“You can look forward to laughter — real laughter, like, out loud, not where you’re just like, ‘Oh that’s funny,’ but like, you actually are laughing,” Essence says of Poppa’s House. “And I think you can look forward to stories that you will find a point of view that you connect with.”
She adds the show is also for “people who grew up with the classic sitcoms and loved them because we definitely have a throwback kind of feel.”
“I think if you loved My Wife and Kids, or if you loved Half & Half or if you loved Girlfriends or if you loved The Wayans Bros. or if you loved, you know, even Friends … or Living Single. I think that the elements are there,” Essence says. “But in addition to that, you have something that’s unique to the show, which is that you have a real-life father and son playing father and son.”
Poppa’s House airs Mondays on CBS at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Nicole Kidman is down to collaborate with Martin Scorsese, as long as he’s down to tell a story about women.
The actress told Vanity Fair in an interview released Wednesday that she would like to work with the iconic director, under one condition.
“I’ve always said I want to work with Scorsese, if he does a film with women,” Kidman said.
While Kidman didn’t elaborate any further, Scorsese has been criticized for the depictions of and lack of characters who are women in his films.
The actress also spoke about other directors she’s interested in working with.
“I’d love to work with Kathryn Bigelow. I’d love to work with Spike Jonze. I’d love to work with PTA [Paul Thomas Anderson]. I’ve always wanted to work with Michael Haneke. And there’s a whole slew of new up-and-coming directors — there’s so many, and I’m always open to the discovery of new people.”
Kidman also spoke about being a part of two recent projects — The Perfect Couple and Babygirl — which were directed by women.
“I’m trying to support all of these women at all different ages, at all different stages in their careers, put my weight behind them and go, ‘I’m here and I’m at your disposal and I’m ready,'” Kidman said.
