Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Trailer Revives Eddie Murphy's Iconic Character
After the unbelievable success of "Top Gun: Maverick," it's easy to think that "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" is a result of studios combing through their respective 1980s catalogs for long-overdue (and potentially lucrative) sequel opportunities. In reality, the movie has been gestating for years. In 2021, there was finally some forward movement when the film received a greenlight to start production in California, but between the COVID-19 pandemic and 2023's WGA and SAG-AFTRA dual strike ... it's understandable why it feels like forever since we've heard a solid update about this cop-comedy.
The good news? "Beverly Hills Cop IV" will debut on Netflix this upcoming summer. The bad? The Eddie Murphy-led film faces a slew of challenges. First, it's been nearly 30 years since the franchise's last entry, which begs the question: Will people still be invested in the hijinks of Axel Foley? Also, 1994's critically-panned "Beverly Hills Cop III" only made $42.6 million at the global box office with a $50 million budget. The fact that "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" is not only coming to Netflix but helmed by first-time feature film director Mark Molloy is enough to make a fan wonder what Eddie Murphy has up his sleeve ... At least, we now have the first teaser trailer of the movie to see what's next for the fast-talking cop.
Axel Foley and friends are finally back
It only took one person to convince Eddie Murphy to do "Beverly Hills Cop IV." After he heard that "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Beverly Hills Cop II" producer Jerry Bruckheimer was back on board after sitting out the third movie, Murphy was ready to revisit his iconic role. As a bonus for longtime franchise fans, Murphy and Bruckheimer aren't the only familiar faces on board the project. The movie also brings back Judge Reinhold's Billy Rosewood, John Ashton's John Taggart, and Bronson Pinchot's Serge from "Beverly Hills Cop III." As we see in the new teaser trailer, the film also ushers in some newcomers. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Detective Bobby Abbott and Kevin Bacon's Captain Grant seem to step in as by-the-book cops who treat Foley's unconventional methods with suspicion, and Paul Reiser plays Jeffrey Friedman, the protagonist's friend and colleague.
For now, it remains to be seen whether the usual things that happen in every "Beverly Hills Cop" movie will recur here. However, the trailer does wheel out a remix of the classic theme song, reveals that Foley is still keeping himself active on the field, and makes it extremely clear that he hasn't mellowed with age. It seems that "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" might be just what the franchise needs to end on a high and hilarious note.