Eddie Murphy has been named the star of a new holiday film. Deadline exclusively reported the comedic actor has landed the leading role in Candy Cane Lane, a movie set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Reginald Hudlin, production is slated to begin this winter.
“The holiday season is my favorite time of year—just ask my family about my nine-hour Christmas playlist,” remarked Hudlin, according to the outlet. “I‘m excited to be working again with Eddie Murphy, Brian Grazer, and Amazon.”
“As we know firsthand with our hit Coming 2 America, Eddie is someone who brings global audiences together, and we can’t wait to make it happen again. We look forward to seeing the multi-talented Reggie Hudlin take the helm in bringing this future holiday classic to life!” added Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke.
Candy Cane Lane was acquired as a spec script written by Kelly Younger who wrote the film based on his own experiences. Murphy is producing alongside Imagine’s Brian Grazer and president of features Karen Lunder, and Charisse Hewitt-Webster.
With Grazer, Murphy, and Hudlin, Candy Cane Lane reunites the team behind the 1992 comedy Boomerang, marking Grazer and Murphy’s seventh collaboration. The movie is set to debut on Prime Video in more than 240 countries, as the first film under Murphy’s three-picture and first-look film deal with Amazon Studios.