MUMBAI: Eddie Murphy has been pencilled in to star in Columbia Pictures’ feature film adaptation of Fantasy Island.

The screenplay will be penned by Jay Scherick and David Ronn, who recently teamed with Murphy on the screenplay for his hit film Norbit. The film will be produced by John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Leonard Goldberg, and Lucas Foster.

The film is an adaptation of the television series starring Ricardo Montalban, which ran from 1978-1984. In the course of its seven-season run, the show was nominated for seven Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe (Hervé Villachaize, nominated for Best Supporting Actor).

Murphy was last seen in the hit comedy Norbit, which took in nearly $100 million at the domestic box office. Prior to that, he starred in Dreamgirls, for which he earned critical acclaim and Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics awards as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of R&B singer James “Thunder” Early.  He will next be seen in the comedy Starship Dave, also directed by Brian Robbins.

At 46, Murphy is on the limited list of actors who have starred in multiple $100 million dollars pictures of the past three decades, from Beverly Hills Cop to Daddy Day Care.