Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Trailer Gets Eddie Murphy Back In The Saddle

By Charlene Badasie | Published

Beverly Hills Cop Axel F

Netflix has released a new trailer for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the fourth installment in the popular action-comedy franchise. Eddie Murphy returns as the titular Axel Foley alongside a stacked cast that includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, and Kevin Bacon.

“Part of me would rather get locked up than get put in this little Fisher-Price-looking squad car. Y’all are the LEGO cops.”

-Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in the new trailer for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

The trailer begins with a beautiful Beverly Hills day interrupted when Axel F. is arrested for operating and crashing a helicopter while undercover. “This is very embarrassing,” Foley says as local law enforcement ushers him into a squad car. “Part of me would rather get locked up than get put in this little Fisher-Price-looking squad car. Y’all are the LEGO cops.”

The two-minute and 30 second clip of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F also offers a sneak peek at the plot which sees Axel team up with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character to rescue his old partner, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold). After showcasing a few crazy action scenes, including Axel crashing a truck into a fancy house, the trailer wraps up by announcing the July 3 release date.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F premieres on Netflix on July 3.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is directed by Mark Molloy from a script by Will Beall. The story follows Axel Foley as he returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened. Foley teams up with Jane, her ex-boyfriend Detective Bobby Abbott, and his old pals John Taggart and Billy Rosewood to uncover a conspiracy.

The film entered development in the mid-1990s under Murphy’s production company. After years of various directors and screenwriters being attached, Mark Molloy was hired to direct Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F in April 2022. Principal photography started in August 2022 in San Bernardino, California. Filming lasted 58 days and aimed to generate $78 million in qualified spending for tax incentives.

The [Beverly Hills Cop] films have earned a total of $735 million at the worldwide box office.

The buddy-cop franchise began in 1984 with the film Beverly Hills Cop. The story follows a street-smart Detroit cop, Axel Foley, who travels to Beverly Hills to investigate a murder. Along the way, Foley deals with the area’s very different culture while working with local police officers, Detectives Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton).

Beverly Hills Cop Axel F
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

The film’s success led to the 1987 sequel Beverly Hills Cop II. The story follows Foley, who returns to Beverly Hills to help Rosewood and Taggart investigate Chief Bogomil’s shooting and a series of alphabet crimes. Beverly Hills Cop III was released in 1994. This time, Foley attempts to stop a car theft ring that leads him to a counterfeit money operation at a theme park in Los Angeles.

The films have earned a total of $735 million at the worldwide box office. Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold are the only actors who appear in all four movies. The franchise’s main theme song, Axel F, composed by Harold Faltermeyer, has been covered and remixed by Crazy Frog. It remains to be seen if the upcoming installment, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, can recreate the success of its predecessors.

Considering Eddie Murphy’s aversion to the Beverly Hills Cop sequels, the script for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F had to be good for the actor to return to the role. It’s a positive indication of his confidence in the film, which the trailer already suggests will be an exciting ride.