It’s been 29 years since Eddie Murphy last donned his iconic Detroit Lions jacket as Axel Foley, and in 2024 he is finally set to reprise the role in the aptly titled sequel Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley. The long-awaited sequel faced a bumpy road before it finally hit cameras. In fact, the project was stuck in development hell for well over two decades, multiple script rewrites were ordered, multiple directors came and went, and Murphy himself stepped away from the spotlight before staging a comeback back in 2019. Despite all the production hiccups that occurred, the film has been shot and is currently in post-production, and will be gracing the screens in the not-too-far future. Here’s your guide to everything you need to know about Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley.
Director Mark Molloy
Cast Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Bacon, Judge Reinhold
Rating
Main Genre Action
Genres Action, Comedy, Crime
Studio Paramount Pictures
Writers Josh Appelbaum, Will Beall, André Nemec, Daniel Petrie Jr.
Does ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’ Have a Premiere Date?
As of right now, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley does not have an official release date. Although the film will reportedly arrive sometime in 2024. The previous two installments released in late May, so that could possibly be the case for this film as well. The film was previously scheduled to be released by Paramount Pictures on March 25, 2016 (the same day as Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice), but was pulled from the release schedule in 2015.
Will ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’ Be Coming to Theaters or Streaming?
While the first three films in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise were distributed by Paramount and were released theatrically, the latest installment is instead being backed by Netflix, thanks to a deal that was struck between the studio and the streamer all the way back in 2019. It’s possible that Netflix will give the film a theatrical release, but nothing has been confirmed. Netflix is no stranger to giving some of its bigger titles a theatrical release, a prime example would be last year’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which, much like this film, was also a sequel to a theatrically released film.
Is There a Trailer for ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’?
No, and since the film has no release date, it’s hard to say when a trailer could possibly arrive.
Who’s In the Cast of ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’?
Could there really be a Beverly Hills Cop sequel without Eddie Murphy? The short and simple answer is no. Murphy will once again be reprising his role as the wise-cracking Detroit cop Axel Foley in the film. This will be the iconic comedian’s fourth time playing the role (fifth if we’re including the unaired pilot for a TV series in 2013). Outside the Beverly Hills Cop films and his legendary stand-up career, Murphy is known for voicing Donkey in the Shrek franchise, as well as for the films Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Trading Places, Dr. Dolittle, Bowfinger, Harlem Nights, 48 Hrs, Boomerang, and Dreamgirls (for which he received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role). After stepping out of the limelight after the poor performance of his 2012 comedy A Thousand Words, Murphy starred in the indie film Mr. Church in 2016, before going on to star as Rudy Ray Moore in the biopic Dolemite Is My Name in 2019. Since then Murphy has also gone on to star in Coming 2 America and You People.
Murphy had talked about his hesitancy in doing a sequel back in 2015, but once Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer behind the original three films, came back on board, he was excited to hop back in, telling Collider’s Steve Weintraub:
“Jerry Bruckheimer, the original producer. When he got involved, and he started developing the script, and he knew what Beverly Hills Cop was supposed to be. When he got back involved, that’s when it all started to come together. Because 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. The studio was like, ‘Let’s go. Here it is.’ It was like, ‘It’s just not it.’ Jerry Bruckheimer got back in there, and he knows his shit, and he put it together. He did [Top Gun: Maverick] just last year, and Bad Boys is Jerry Bruckheimer. So we have that same brain behind Beverly Hills Cop, and he put all the pieces in place that were required for us to make a great movie. And I’m excited for people to see it.”
Murphy isn’t the only returning cast member either as it has been confirmed that Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, John Ashton, and Bronson Pinchot will all be reprising their roles as Billy Rosewood, Jeffery Friedman, John Taggart, and Surge. While Reinhold, Ashton, and Pinchot appeared with Murphy in all three films, Reiser sat out of the third film, so his return comes as a surprise to some. Franchise newcomers include Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception), Taylour Paige (Zola), and Kevin Bacon (Footloose) playing undisclosed roles.
What Will ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’ Be About?
Plot details surrounding Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley are currently being kept under wraps. While there have been numerous rumors floating around regarding the film’s potential story, nothing has been confirmed by Netflix.
Who Is Making ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’?
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley will be directed by Mark Molloy, who is making his directorial debut with the film. Molloy may be a new name in the world of feature films, but he has had quite a successful career in the world of commercials, having directed advertisements for Apple, Go Daddy, and Nissan. Molloy isn’t the first director to become attached to the project as other filmmakers such as Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), and Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) were previously attached to the film.
Murphy is also producing the film alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Chad Oman, and Melissa Reid. Bruckheimer is one of the most prolific producers in Hollywood history, aside from having produced the previous installments in Beverly Hills Cop, Bruckheimer has also produced blockbuster franchises such as Top Gun, Pirates of the Caribbean, Bad Boys, and National Treasure. The script comes from Will Beall, a former LAPD officer and the screenwriter behind Aquaman and Gangster Squad, as well as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent screenwriters Tom Gormicon and Kevin Etten.
When and Where Did ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley’ Film?
After years of languishing in development hell, filming for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley finally commenced in August 2022 in San Bernardino, California, with additional filming taking place in Detroit, Michigan. Filming eventually wrapped in early 2023.
