Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in first-look photo from fourth ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ movie
The fourth installment of the renowned franchise features Eddie Murphy’s character Axel Foley returning to the case, four decades after the first “Beverly Hills Cop” film debuted.
On Monday, Netflix released a first-look photo of Murphy – clad in Foley’s familiar Detroit Lions jacket – on the streamer’s Instagram page, accompanied by an announcement that “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley” will arrive next year.
“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley brings Eddie Murphy back in his most iconic role,” Netflix’s caption read.
Tudum says that in addition to Murphy, the original cast members of “Beverly Hills Cop,” Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, John Ashton, and Bronson Pinchot, will be reprising their roles in the upcoming film. Franchise newcomers Kevin Bacon, Taylour Paige, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will also be appearing with Mark Molloy directing.
The film’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Empire magazine in an interview published earlier this week that Gordon-Levitt is set to appear as Foley’s new partner, saying, “they are hysterical together.”
“You never know what you’re going to get” when Murphy walks on set, Bruckheimer said, adding that “it’s always pretty brilliant.”
“Every day he’s there throws you back to the ‘80s,” he said.
“Beverly Hills Cop” first premiered in 1984 and became a career-defining role for Murphy. It earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay and spawned two sequels – “Beverly Hills Cop II” in 1987 and “Beverly Hills Cop III” in 1994.
Starring Murphy, Reinhold, Pinchot, Lisa Eilbacher, Reiser and Ashton, the Martin Brest-directed first film follows Foley, a rebellious Detroit cop, as he investigates the murder of a childhood friend in Beverly Hills.
A specific release date or plot details for “Axel Foley” have yet to be released, but Bruckheimer told Empire that the sequel will stay true to the essence of the franchise, saying, “It’s about the emotion.”
