Beverly Hills Cop 4 Is Officially Happening With Eddie Murphy Joined By Joseph Gordon-Levitt And Taylour Paige
A year after Eddie Murphy revived one of his classic roles in "Coming 2 America," the actor is officially set to bring the world of "Beverly Hills Cop" back from the dead. "Beverly Hills Cop 4" has been in development for several years, but there finally seems to be some momentum on the project, as Deadline reports it now has a name –- "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley" –- and a supporting cast. "Zola" breakout star Taylour Paige will join Murphy in the new film, as will "Super Pumped" star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (There's no casting info available, but Gordon-Levitt has big Billy Rosewood energy, so could he be playing Judge Reinhold's character's son here?)
The "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise was initially a massive moneymaker, as its first installment made over $300 million at the worldwide box office in 1984 and showed that audiences had a taste for R-rated entertainment and Murphy's uproarious brand of comedy. The follow-up films didn't fare nearly as well, and after the release of "Beverly Hills Cop III" in 1994 didn't yield an immediate sequel as expected, it looked like the franchise might have reached its conclusion.
Murphy's back for a Netflix sequel
Still, talk of a fourth installment has lingered for decades, with a Brett Ratner-helmed version in the works back in 2008, and a legacy sequel series about Axel's son planned at CBS in 2013. The latter was eventually shelved when, according to Murphy, the studio passed on the pilot after realizing Murphy wouldn't be a recurring guest star. "It tested where they have these knobs [that you] turn if you like it," Murphy told IndieWire, "And whenever I came on the screen, Axel Foley would come on the screen, they turned it so they literally broke the knobs on the thing. It was like, 'Damn, they breaking knobs?'"
This time, though, Axel's name is right there in the title, so it should be clear to anyone and everyone that Netflix's version of "Beverly Hills Cop 4" will star Murphy as Detroit cop Axel Foley. The project started off with Paramount, but moved over to Netflix in 2019 before presumably being slowed down by the pandemic. Now it's finally on the horizon, with Mark Molley directing from a script by "Aquaman" screenwriter Will Beall. Jerry Bruckheimer, Chad Oman, and Murphy will produce.
"Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley" isn't the first time the comedian has worked with Netflix. In 2019, the actor put in an excellent performance in "Dolemite is My Name," one of the streamer's best original film offerings. While there's no word yet on whether or not Netflix will give the new "Beverly Hills Cop" a theatrical release like they did with "The Gray Man," it would be great to see the former box office champion on the big screen when all is said and done.
"Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley" does not yet have a release date.