See Eddie Murphy Back As Axel Foley In Beverly Hills Cop 4
While it’s been almost 30 years since we last saw Eddie Murphy toss on a Detroit Lions jacket and step back into the role of his Beverly Hills Cop character, Axel Foley, the actor is officially back in business. Since we received a production start date just one month ago, we’ve been waiting to see some first looks coming from the set of Beverly Hills Cop 4, which is set to head to Netflix, and with today’s photos, we have exactly that. The image, which you can see above, puts Murphy’s Axel Foley on display not only with his recognizable jacket, but also behind the wheel of a police car.
While we can’t tell you what the plot of the now filming feature is, we can reveal that several other members of the Beverly Hills Cop family will be returning to the fold and heading for the sunny, palm tree lined streets of California. Along with Eddie Murphy, fans can expect to see Judge Reinhold’s Detective William “Billy” Rosewood, John Ashton’s Sergeant John Taggart, and Paul Reiser’s Detective Jeffrey Friedman, rain down the law on their perps. Making up the ensemble and spotted alongside Murphy and the rest of the gang on location in Beverly Hills are Taylour Paige (The Toxic Avenger) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper).
While he was already a celebrated name in the stand up community, as well as a beloved cast member of Saturday Night Live, the first installment of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise (which came out in 1984) no doubt launched Eddie Murphy’s career to new heights. The film saw Murphy’s Foley travel from his home in Detroit to Beverly Hills in hopes of solving a crime. A detective with a penchant and reputation for doing things his way, comedic hijinks quickly ensued for Foley and his colleagues.
An overnight hit, Beverly Hills Cop would soon earn itself the title of the highest grossing film of the year, and would end up on par with the likes of The Exorcist and The Godfather for the top grossing R rated feature of all time. The film was a critical sensation, scooping up nominations at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes, with the latter seeing Eddie Murphy nominated for Best Motion Picture Actor in a Comedy or Musical. Having such a success on their hands, it’s no shock as to why those backing the feature immediately moved to put a sequel into production.
Based on Box Office Mojo‘s numbers, Beverly Hills Cop II featured much of the same cast and was another box office sensation, earning another round of Oscar and Golden Globe noms. The second feature came out in 1987 with the third and, up until now, final installment hitting screens in 1994. While both Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold would appear in the feature, John Ashton and Paul Reiser didn’t return, with many believing that the film didn’t have the same gusto that the previous two did.
Now, with so many movies getting reboots and reimaginings, including the Eddie Murphy led Coming 2 America, it seems as though the time is right to strike on the fourth installation in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. With the first batch of photos released, it’s only a matter of time until we see more of Axel Foley and the rest of the familiar and fresh faces on the set of Beverly Hills Cop 4.
