Eddie Murphy May Host Next Oscars

It may seem a bit amusing that the formerly prolific actor- who has since become nearly synonymous with box-office failures- might host the Oscars, but it looks like Eddie Murphy could be next in line for the high-profile hosting gig.

Murphy, who has fallen in prominence somewhat since the peak of his 80’s and early 90’s successes, would follow James Franco and Anne Hathaway, the young Hollywood stars who co-hosted the event earlier this year. And while Murphy may seem an unlikely choice, an “Oscars insider” says that the Norbit star is actually a very likely selection for the role, and for good reason:

“Nobody knows movies better or is a bigger cinephile than Eddie. Not Brett. Not even Quentin Tarantino. Eddie can quote scenes from every single movie word for word… He can bring all that experience to hosting. Plus he has ‘Saturday Night Live’ experience before a live crowd. And worldwide, the biggest crossover comedians are Will Smith and Eddie Murphy.”

Murphy’s profile has certainly dropped in recent years, on the heels of box-office dreck like Pluto Nash, but the actor and comedian was nominated back in 2007 for an Academy Award for his role in the Motown flick Dreamgirls. While he didn’t win, his performance garnered critical acclaim and served to turn around moviegoer perception of Murphy to a degree.

Up next- aside from the tentative Oscar-hosting gig- for the star is a role in the upcoming film Tower Heist with Ben Stiller, out on November 4th. Following that, his film A Thousand Words is due out early in 2012.