Eddie Murphy’s all set to return to his fan-favorite role of Axel Foley with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. We last spotted him in the role in 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III. As Murphy reprised his role after decades, he admitted how difficult it was for him to do this movie. The actor confessed that the last time he did Axel Foley he was in his 20s and pulling it off again was very tough for him.
The Beverly Hills Cop film series is one of the most popular action comedy film franchises. It has a huge contribution to Eddie Murphy’s stardom. A fourth installment in the film series was in the works for a long time. The movie was embroiled in several script rewrites and director changes before it could start production in August 2022.
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Beverly Hills Cop 4 was a difficult ride for Eddie Murphy due to his age
It was exciting for Eddie Murphy and his fans to see the franchise’s comeback after 30 years. Beverly Hills Cop started in 1984 with the story of a Detroit cop who travels to California to investigate the murder of his best friend. As Axel Foley is returning to California once again after so many years, this time the experience was not the same for the lead.
In an interview with People, the 62-year-old actor revealed that rejoining the franchise after 3 decades was rough.
“It was a hard one. I did Axel Foley when I was in my 20s. I am not in my 20s anymore. It was an action movie. So it was a rough one. But we got through it.”
It was extremely difficult for Eddie Murphy to pull off an action comedy in his 60s. The veteran was forced to do certain physical stuff for the movie and got injuries on his knee and back. However, he assured his fans that Beverly Hills Cop 4 would be special.
“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.”
Before coming to fruition, Beverly Hills Cop 4 also faced several production delays. The movie went through a lot of troubles with director changes and script rewrites.
Also Read: Eddie Murphy Earned $15 Million For the Worst Movie in His Beverly Hills Cop Franchise
Beverly Hills Cop 4 went through a long and arduous journey before being finalized
Interestingly, the movie which is slated to release sometime around 2024 was in the works from mid 1990s. It went through several producer changes and was initially set to be directed by the Rush Hour fame Brett Ratner. However, the plans changed once again midway and it was decided that a series would be made on the son of Axel Foley.
The plan of a potential series was scrapped as well and once again, it was announced that a movie would be made. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were brought this time to work on a new Beverly Hills Cop movie before being handed over to another director. At the last, following a series of production delays, Mark Molloy was finalized as the director.
While speaking to People, the Candy Cane Lane actor praised producer Jerry Bruckheimer for finally bringing the movie after such an arduous production journey.
“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, and the studio was [like], ‘Let’s go! Here it is!’ Jerry Bruckheimer got back in there and he knows his s–t. And he put it together…. He put all the pieces in place that were required for us to make a great movie. I’m really excited for people to see it.”
The fourth installment of Beverly Hills Cop brings back Eddie Murphy along with his OG co-actors Paul Reiser, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Bronson Pinchot. Additionally, Kevin Bacon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Taylour Paige also joined the cast.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will be released sometime in 2024 on Netflix.
