Eddie Murphy and Ama Qamata Set for Animated Fantasy M'Tali
Eddie Murphy and Ama Qamata are set to voice the lead roles in M'Tali: The Everlasting Spring, an animated family fantasy, according to Deadline, which reported the casting on 12 November 2026.
Murphy will voice Vakoro, the villainous uncle of the film's heroine. Qamata will voice Princess Selani, the heroine herself. Qamata is best known for playing Puleng Khumalo in Netflix's Blood & Water.
The story follows Princess Selani of the kingdom of M'tali. After a coup separates her from her family, she meets a family in the Forbidden Jungle who have discovered the Everlasting Spring. The project is described as a coming-of-age story with musical elements.
The script is by Bria Murphy and Michael Xavier. Bria Murphy is Eddie Murphy's daughter, and the screenplay is her feature screenwriting debut. The producers are Michael Xavier, Bria Murphy, Ray Murphy Jr., Autumn Bailey-Ford and Chris Brew.
For Eddie Murphy, the film is his first animated movie outside the Shrek franchise and Disney's 1998 Mulan. Animated features are usually built over several years, from script to voice recording to final picture, so casting this early is a notable step in the process.
What happens next is still open. The team is taking the project to directors and to potential studio, streaming and production partners. No director, distributor or release date has been reported, and the film has no set start date for production.
For fans of either performer, the news is a first look at who will bring the characters to life. For families, it adds another animated title to the list of films in development, and one with a first-time screenwriter at the desk.
