Pink Panther Reboot Confirmed by Eddie Murphy: ‘I’m the New Clouseau’
In an interview with Al Roker on Today (via Deadline), comedy legend Eddie Murphy has revealed that he’ll soon be taking over the role of Inspector Clouseau in a new Pink Panther movie, confirming reports that had been circulating about the role since 2023.
The role of Inspector Clouseau was famously originated by Peter Sellers in the 1963 release The Pink Panther, before Steve Martin took on the role for two films in the late 2000s (also called The Pink Panther). The character is a parody of the famed fictional detective Hercule Poirot, with the stories following the inept detective as he tries to stop a jewel thief from stealing the titular Pink Panther diamond. There has also been a hugely successful animated show that used to air on television in the late 70s.
The Saturday Night Live Alum told Roker that he had initially “planned on slowing down, and things just happened” before adding that his upcoming slate of projects included “getting ready to do George Clinton“, returning to Shrek 5 and that he was “I’m going to be — I’m Inspector Clouseau in the next Pink Panther”. When asked by Roker if the canonically French character would still be written as such, Murphy responded coyly: “Maybe. Well, he has to be French, but he could also be Haitian. I will tell you, he’s Black. He’s Black, for sure.”
Peter Sellers first played Clouseau in the original The Pink Panther (1963) and subsequent sequels until he died in 1980. Steve Martin (Murphy’s co-star in 1998’s Bowfinger) played the character in the reboots in 2006 and 2009, with Alan Arkin and Roberto Benigni also portraying him over the years.
Eddie Murphy can next be seen in the upcoming action comedy The Pickup, alongside Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer, on August 6th. Stay tuned for our review soon!
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