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Posted: Sun., Mar. 20, 2005, 9:00pm PT

D'Works sparks Murphy comedy

Imagine taps 'Kumar' scribes for action laffer

Eddie Murphy

Murphy

DreamWorks and Imagine have set "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" scribes Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg to write "Johnny Blaze," an action comedy that will be developed as a star vehicle for Eddie Murphy. Imagine's Brian Grazer will produce.

Murphy would play the title character, an old-school rapper who retires and becomes a private eye who solves crimes within the hip-hop world.

Concept was hatched by Grazer and Murphy, who were looking for another collaboration. Grazer produced Murphy starring vehicles "The Nutty Professor" and its sequel as well as "Bowfinger," and the two worked together as producers on TV series "The PJs" and the in-development pic "The Incredible Shrinking Man."

Murphy will work for DreamWorks again voicing "Shrek 3."

The scribes, who made their first script sale, "Filthy," at MGM while college seniors, scored a sleeper hit with their first credit on "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle." They scripted "The Wingman," a New Line comedy directed by Rob McKittrick, with Christopher Walken attached. For Mandate, they are writing "The Gym Teacher," a comedy produced by Principato-Young.

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