Eddie, Eddie, Wherefore Art Thou Eddie?

Some actors just seem made for Shakespeare - Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Brannagh, Judi Dench, Eddie Murphy? No, really. The rubber faced and multi-faceted funnyman, famous (in his early days) for his casual swearing and balls-out comedy and (nowadays) for his excellent cartoon voice-overs and family-friendly blockbusters, is set to tackle the Bard himself. Well, sort of. Murphy will star in a new comedy based very loosely on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Written by the scribes behind some of his biggest hits, including The Nutty Professor and Coming To America, the as-yet untitled film will tell the story of two star-cross'd lovers from their parents' point of view, one of whom will presumably be played by Eddie. We're guessing that the description "comedy" precludes a double-suicide in the final act, but otherwise expect teenage tantrums and parental trauma. In the meantime, Murphy fans will be queuing up to see him reprise his excellent turn as Donkey when Shrek 2 hits cinemas on 2 July, after which he will be shooting Daddy Day Camp, the sequel to last year's Daddy Day Care.