Eddie Murphy to play former DC Mayor Marion Barry in upcoming HBO biopic

 
If you could characterize local DC politics as an enema, Marion Barry would be where you'd insert the tube. The embarrassing ex-Mayor's "controversial" life and career has been discussed as a possible film many times in the past, but it's all but a done deal now. The Washington Post first reported(then confirmed by THR) that Eddie Murphy is set to star as him in an HBO biopic on the coke sniffing politician, with Spike Lee to direct. 

John Ridley(Three Kings) will pen the screenplay, receiving consultative support from DC insiders Tom Sherwood and Harry Jaffe, along with The Nine Lives of Marion Barry filmmakers Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer. Murphy, Lee, and Ridley will also serve as exec producers. 

This is exactly what we need, to draw further attention to the local eyesore that was Marion Barry. Despite his issues, like claiming he was set up when a police sting caught him snorting coke with an ex-girlfriend, he remains a polarizing figure. He did a lot for the nation's capital, and people aren't quick to forget that. But he also made us a national punchline, with the phrase "Bitch set me up" a staple on the late night talk shows after his arrest. It didn't help that we re-elected the guy just five years later.