Murphy co-starred in '' Tower Heist '' , directed by Brett Ratner . Murphy played a thief who joins a group of hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy businessman 's Ponzi scheme , and conspire to rob his high-rise residence . Ben Stiller , Matthew Broderick , and Casey Affleck also starred in the film , released on November 4 , 2011 . It was reported in 2011 that Murphy would host the 84th Academy Awards in 2012 . However , he dropped out of his hosting duties on November 9 , 2011 , in the wake of the Brett Ratner scandal
84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
Eddie Murphy