Axel Foley, a goofball but talented Detroit-hailing cop in Beverly Hills, proved to be Eddie Murphy’s breakout role in 1984, opening doors for the Coming to America star to establish himself as one of the most sought-after comedy actors of the 80s and 90s.
Beverly Hills Cop was a huge financial success, grossing $234 million domestically and finishing 1984 as the highest-grossing film of the year. Its success not only inspired two more installments in quick succession but also paved the way for more action-comedy franchises, including Rush Hour. However, when it came to making the fourth movie of his own franchise, Murphy did a lot of thinking.
Eddie Murphy Turned Down Several Beverly Hills Cop 4 Scripts
Nearly four decades ago, Eddie Murphy played Axel Foley, a police officer who finds himself in the crime world of Beverly Hills after his close friend was murdered.
During the filming of Beverly Hills Cop, Murphy, now 62, was in his 20s. He impressed critics and fans alike with his performance as a fast-talking, shrewd cop, who was equally adept at physically taking on his adversaries.
Both Murphy and the producers capitalized on the success of the first movie and subsequently released Beverly Hills Cop II and Beverly Hills Cop III in 1987 and 1994 respectively.
However, reprising the role for the fourth time became a huge challenge for Murphy for several reasons, including not finding an ideal script. He told Collider:
“We tried for years and years, maybe 10, 12 years —and I must have read five or six different scripts, and it was never right.”
Amid this, there were also plans for a now-scrapped TV series as well. It would’ve focused on Axel’s son.
In the same interview, Murphy revealed that things started to come together when Jerry Bruckheimer, the original producer, got involved and started developing the script.
Why Did Eddie Murphy Find It Hard to Film Beverly Hills Cop 4
Murphy – who will be reunited with original cast members Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – is confident Bruckheimer knows his “s–t” and is excited for his fans to see the movie.
However, he admitted it was really hard to make the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie because he’s not “21” anymore, explaining:
“It’s a really physical movie and I had to do some physical stuff…. I like to be on the couch, I don’t like to be jumping over and shooting and running. And I had to do some jumping and shooting and running. And as a result… at the end of the movie, I had a knee brace and my back is messed up. But the movie is gonna be special.”
Netflix dropped the official teaser of the film on December 14, confirming it’s set to premiere in the summer of 2024. This while, Detective Axel will be investigating the untimely demise of a long-time confidant.
