Source: Variety

Any goodwill that Eddie Murphy may engender with his return to adult humor in the upcoming comedy 'Tower Heist' may very well soon be flushed away with the actor's return to voice acting in the *shudder* live-action/CG hybrid 'Hong Kong Phooey'. That's right, the 'Shrek' and 'Mulan' star has signed on to Alcon Entertainment's adaptation of the short-lived Hanna Barbera cartoon series about a lowly janitor dog who becomes a kung fu-fighting hero.

While the original cartoon only lasted a single 16-episode season, the character has remained a persistent fixture in pop culture in the years since. The cartoon centered around mild-mannered Penrod "Penry" Pooch - a lowly janitor at the local police department under the strict eye of Sargeant "Sarge" Flint. When danger called, Penry would leap into a nearby filing cabinet and transform into Hong Kong Phooey, the not-at-all-racist (and extremely accident-prone) crimefighter. Originally voiced by vocal talent extraordinaire Scatman Crothers (aka Jazz the Autobot in the original Transformers cartoon), in this new version Murphy will supply the voice for a regular, ordinary dog who accidentally stumbles into a secret ceremony and is granted mystical powers, including the ability to walk, talk and do kung fu. Under the guidance of his master, Penry dons a costume and fights crime alongside his cat sidekick, Spot.

The film is set to be directed by Alex Zamm, who - besides having the best magician name ever, is known for a string of direct-to-video sequels like 'Inspector Gadget 2', 'Dr. Doolittle: Million Dollar Mutts', and 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2'. Not exactly the best pedigree (yes, I'm going there). For a brush-up on the popular character, here are the opening credits to the original cartoon: