'The Pickup' Press Conference With Eddie Murphy and More

Actors Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, and Pete Davidson, as well as Director Tim Story, share behind-the-scenes details of the making of 'The Pickup'.

(L to R) Keke Palmer, Eddie Murphy, and Pete Davidson in 'The Pickup'. Photo: Prime Video.

Prime Video's upcoming new action-comedy, 'The Pickup', is set to start streaming on August 6th, 2025. The film stars Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, Marshawn Lynch, and Keke Palmer. In the movie, chaos unfolds after a routine cash pickup goes wrong.

Moviefone was in attendance at a virtual press conference featuring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, and director Tim Story. They shared behind-the-scenes details and lots of laughs while celebrating the upcoming release of their new film.

1) Pete Davidson Calls 'The Pickup' An Old School Comedy

Pete Davidson at the premiere of 'The PIckup'. Photo: Prime Video.

When asked to describe 'The Pickup', Pete Davidson relates it to an early 2000s movie, emphasizing that it really leans in on the fun side of things.

Pete Davidson: I think it's one of those fun, early 2000s old school action comedy, fast-moving. There's not a dull moment. The story picks up literally from the jump, and it moves, and it's an hour and 40 minutes of just fun. It's just fun. You watch it with everybody. There's someone in it for everyone to like, so I think it's just a right down the middle fastball.

2) The Cast of 'The Pickup' Is A Dream Come True For Director Tim Story

(L to R) Pete Davidson as Travis Stolly, Eddie Murphy as Russell Pierce, and Keke Palmer as Zoe in 'The Pickup'. Photo: Prime Video.

With a cast like Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, Pete Davidson, and Eva Longoria, you cannot go wrong. Tim Story gushes over them, admitting this is a dream cast.

Tim Story: It was like a dream come true. I want to say my career has a little bit been on trying to chase [Eddie Murphy] down and do a movie with him. And so when you get that, and then you can, you see him with Pete, and as many people have said, it's the pairing that you didn't realize you needed so much, and then you see them together, and then you had Keke. It was just a bag of riches that just kept coming out. It's a movie of the 80s, and I'm an 80s comedy kind of kid, and I just felt like I had a dream come true.

3) Keke Palmer Was Excited To Work With Pete Davidson Again, This Time Face-to-Face

(L to R) Keke Palmer and Pete Davidson at 'The Pickup' virtual press conference.

Keke Palmer and Pete Davidson have worked together in the past, but because of the pandemic, 'The Pickup' was actually the first time they were able to work together face-to-face.

Keke Palmer: I worked with Pete before, so it was great to work with him again, and this time face-to-face because the last thing we did was a podcast during COVID. So we were really not near each other. It was during COVID, so they wouldn't even let us say hi. We were just in between sheets of glass and so desperately wanting to do something, and this thing came along. I had a good time. It was really fun.

4) Keke Palmer Says Watching Eddie Murphy Work Was A Masterclass

(L to R) Eddie Murphy as Russell Pierce and Pete Davidson as Travis Stolly in 'The Pickup'. Photo: Prime Video.

Keke Palmer, who is a comedic genuis herself, was extremely impressed watching Eddie Murphy work. She feels as if she has learned a lot from working alongside him.

Keke Palmer: I was happy because I asked him his favorite movie that he's ever done, and I was like, it was the same movie of mine that he's ever done, which is 'Nutty Professor', because those characters that he made were so real. For years, when I was little, I was like, is that really Eddie? That's not a real mama? Every single character was so truthful. It was comedy, but it was truthful, and I really do feel like working on 'The Pickup' prepared me for one of them days because I got to watch a masterclass of him continuously playing the truth. Every improvisation, every joke, the situation was the comedy, and he just always knew how to add to it in just the right way. It was an honor. I can't wait to do it again.

5) 'The Pickup' Script Is What Drew Eddie Murphy To The Film

(L to R) Paige Butcher and Eddie Murphy at the premiere of 'The PIckup'. Photo: Prime Video.

Eddie Murphy is a legend. Because of this he can pick and choose what projects he wants to work on. He claims it was the solid script of 'The Pickup' that made him want to be a part of it.

Eddie Murphy: That the script was solid when I read it. Usually, these pieces take years to develop and you see a bunch of different drafts of the script. But this thing was like 90% there when I read it the first time. It was like, hey, this could work. Then we got Tim, and I was like, okay, well, we're making this movie. It just came together really quick. The script being solid is why I jumped on it, so to speak.

6) Keke Palmer Says Her 'The Pickup' Character Is More Of An Anti-Hero Than A Villain

Keke Palmer as Zoe in 'The Pickup'. Photo: Prime Video.

When asked if she was inspired by any other performances when crafting her character, Keke Palmer says that she wasn't thinking about anyone in particular, and just wanted to be truthful to who she felt her character is.

Keke Palmer: I was just wanting to play who I thought this character was, honestly, truthfully. She's a villain, but she's somebody that has a reason. In my mind, I felt like she was a bit of an anti-hero, and she's honestly trying to get these guys on board with what she's trying to do. There's a bit of a romance that's happening with Pete's character, even if she's not fully admitting it. And then there's this feeling of she's wanting Eddie's character to believe in her. She's looking for somebody to validate what she's doing.

7) Pete Davidson Explains There Was A Lot Of Improv While Filming - A Lot Of Which Did Not Make The Final Cut Of The Movie

(L to R) Keke Palmer and Pete Davidson at 'The Pickup' virtual press conference.

When asked about improvising on set, Pete Davidson admits that he and Eddie Murphy had a lot of moments where they just went off, saying random things. A lot of them did not make the final cut, but they still think about them.

Pete Davidson: Oh, a lot of stuff. I was saying some foul stuff. Some of it's in there. Tim was very trusting to all of us. We would get one as scripted and then he would just let us have fun and go off. I think some of the best moments in the film are just us all messing around. That Marshawn Lynch one with the whole twin thing. Or Eddie when he was like, jiggle the back, make the back jiggle. That killed me. When you're changing the tire, and you said like maybe to a passing car, I don't read as white, that was hilarious. I just had a lot of fun, and I appreciated Tim's trust. And it made the movie really easy and fun to film.

8) Tim Story Says Editing The Comedy Of 'The Pickup' Was Easier Than One Might Think

(L to R) Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, director Tim Story on the set of 'The Pickup'. Photo: Prime Video

With a comedy like 'The Pickup' there must be a lot of improv, especially because of the cast. While one might think this would make it harder to edit, Tim Story says that he just respected the comedy rules.

Tim Story: I'm a slave to the comedy rules. You put it together. If it works and an audience laughs, we keep it. If it doesn't work, we get rid of it. That's what's fun. As you trim off all the fat, you end up with something that just makes it great. But that's what's also great about what you saw a lot between Eddie and Pete, and obviously Keke, is that they just give you these nuggets. But at the same time, what's fun about it is they're also very surgical. Once they lock into what makes the scene work, they just give you more of that.

9) Eddie Murphy Reveals His First Impressions Of His Costars

(L to R) Eddie Murphy and Tim Story at 'The Pickup' virtual press conference.

Eddie Murphy describes his first impressions of his 'The Pickup' costars, Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer.

Eddie Murphy: My first impression wasn't on the set with Pete. I knew him from the show, from SNL. And Keke, I didn't know all the different stuff that Keke did. I'd seen that Pimp series that she did. I was like, that's the girl from Pimp. She's good. So when she got on the set, it was like, oh, wow, yeah, this girl is good. Then it was like, oh, she hosts this game show, too. Then I watched the game show, and it was a totally different human being. She has a persona that she does for the game show, and it's a great game show host, but she's nothing like that. And then she's nothing like she is in the movie. Off camera, she's nothing like any of the stuff that she does. So I've been tripping off of her. And she sings and all that. Actually, I was like that when I was her age.

10) Eddie Murphy Praising Keke Palmer Makes Her Emotional

Keke Palmer at the premiere of 'The PIckup'. Photo: Prime Video.

Hearing Eddie Murphy praise her like this, makes Keke Palmer extremely emotional.

Keke Palmer: I could cry, to be quite honest with you. There's nothing better. Eddie is literally the blueprint. I remember watching 'Trading Places'. Like I said, I've grown up on all his movies and his impact. He's done things that they would never be done again. And to be around him and to also see how he's had the longevities he's had, and still reserve himself. When Eddie gets on stage, he's performing. He's giving you all he's got. Then when he's done, he's got his family. He's got his kids.

What is the plot of 'The Pickup'?

In the action-comedy The Pickup, a routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armored truck drivers, Russell (Eddie Murphy) and Travis (Pete Davidson), are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by a savvy mastermind, Zoe (Keke Palmer), with plans that go way beyond the cash cargo. As chaos unfolds around them, the unlikely duo must navigate high-risk danger, clashing personalities, and one very bad day that keeps getting worse.