I suppose if any of us got a chance to work with our longtime heroes, we'd want to keep that going as long as possible. Director Brett Ratner has declared Eddie Murphy to have been a huge influence on his career, inspiring the Rush Hour movies with his brilliant action comedies.

This weekend, Ratner's heist comedy, Tower Heist, opened, with Murphy headlining opposite Ben Stiller. Ratner is also producing the 2012 Academy Awards, which Murphy is hosting, as well as the developing animated film Hong Kong Phooey, with Murphy voicing the title character (which we can only hope will be faithful to the better-than-logic-dictates-it-could-have-been original cartoon).

Ratner has declared that in addition to all of this, and a possible new Beverly Hills Cop movie, he would like to work on another comedy film with Murphy. The director and the actor are reported to be in talks for a new project; perhaps Ratner will take over directorial responsibilities on the script Murphy is writing: Jamal and Tyrell and Omar and Brick and Michael's Wack-Ass Weekend, about a fivesome of friends being abducted by aliens.

For now, there is nothing solidified. But a Ratner/Murphy collaboration is on the horizons, so prepare accordingly.

Source: The Wrap