A rather surprising casting coup has been made for the upcoming Dreamgirls film; Eddie Murphy will play soul superstar James "Thunder" Early, for whom the Motown girl group of the title sing backup early in the show.
Murphy joins Beyoncé Knowles as glamorous Deena Jones, Usher as composer CC White and Jamie Foxx as Dreams manager Curtis Taylor Jr. Yet
to be cast are the remaining 2 members of the Dreams, who from humble (and more soulful) origins, become a pop sensation after ditching the phenomenally talented Effie White. A nationwide
search will take place for Effie with hopes of finding an unknown to
fill the memorable role.Dreamgirls, which will be brought to the big screen by DreamWorks, will be directed by Bill Condon, who will adapt the screenplay from Tom Eyen's book (Eyen also wrote the lyrics to Henry Kreiger's music). DreamWorks'
Adam Goodman and David Beaubaire (who produced the original 1981 stage
production) are in charge of the film after pursuing the project for
over 10 years. The film, which is slated for a 2006 release, will begin shooting in LA this fall.
Murphy is the Saturday Night Live alum who has starred in such films as the Shrek movies (lending his voice to Donkey), Daddy Day Care, the Nutty Professor movies, Doctor Dolittle, Mulan (as the voice of Mushu), the Beverly Hills Cop films, and Coming to America. .
