Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | |
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Directed by | Mark Molloy |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Will Beall |
Based on | Characters by |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Music by | Lorne Balfe |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 146 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is an upcoming American action comedy film directed by Mark Molloy, written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, from a story by Beall. Serving as the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series, Eddie Murphy (who also produces) reprises his role as Axel Foley, with Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot reprising their roles from previous films in the franchise, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, and Kevin Bacon star in new roles.
The film entered development in the mid-1990s, under Murphy's production company. Various directors and screenwriters were attached over the years, including Brett Ratner and Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Molloy was hired to direct in April 2022, with production beginning in California that August. Production has wrapped up, with the film scheduled to be released on the streaming service Netflix on July 3, 2024. [1] [2] [3]
Axel Foley has returned to Beverly Hills after his daughter Jane's life is threatened. She and Axel team up with her ex-boyfriend, and his old pals John Taggart and Billy Rosewood to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.
A fourth entry in the series was initially announced for release in the mid-1990s, under the production of Eddie Murphy's production company Eddie Murphy Productions, before production fizzled out. [13] The film was re-announced in 2006, when producer Jerry Bruckheimer announced his intention to resurrect the film series, though he eventually gave up his option to produce the film, passing production duties to Lorenzo di Bonaventura. [14] [15]
In September 2006 a script, which was an amalgamation of several earlier drafts, was presented to Murphy, who was reported to be "very happy" with the outline, described as an attempt to recapture the "feel of the original". [16] [17] Murphy admitted one of his motivations for making a fourth Beverly Hills Cop film was to make up for the fact that the third film was "horrible" and "he didn't want to leave (the series) like that". [18] [19]
In May 2008, Rush Hour director Brett Ratner was officially named director, promising the film would return under the series' standard "R" rating, rather than as a rumored watered down PG-13. [20] [21] In July 2008, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas were hired as screenwriters to improve on the existing script, [22] and completed a new script under the working title Beverly Hills Cop 2009, which would see Foley return to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his friend Billy Rosewood. [13]
The script was eventually rejected, leaving Ratner to work on a new idea. In an interview with Empire magazine, Ratner stated, "I'm working very hard on the fourth. It's very difficult, especially since there were three before. We're trying to figure out some important things, like where do we start? Is Axel retired? Is he in Beverly Hills? Is he on vacation? Does Judge Reinhold return as the loveable Billy Rosewood? Many questions to figure out, but I'm hoping to have a script before film disappears from our existence." [13]
Although Murphy committed to the project, it was unconfirmed whether the series' other principal actors, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, and Bronson Pinchot, would return. [23] Ratner stated in late 2009 that he was trying to convince Reinhold and Ashton to reprise their roles. [24] Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F", would definitely be returning for the proposed fourth installment, with Ratner quoted as saying "It'll be back but it'll be a whole new interpretation." [25] On November 15, 2010, Ratner stated in an interview with MTV that there was still a possibility that they will make a fourth film, but that it wouldn't be "anytime soon." [26]
In October 2011, Murphy discussed a possible fourth film, stating, "They're not doing it. What I'm trying to do now is produce a TV show starring Axel Foley's son, and Axel is the chief of police now in Detroit. I'd do the pilot, show up here and there. None of the movie scripts were right; it was trying to force the premise. If you have to force something, you shouldn't be doing it. It was always a rehash of the old thing. It was always wrong." [27] During late Summer 2013, after CBS decided to pass on the TV series, Paramount decided to move forward with the fourth film. On September 13, 2013, Jerry Bruckheimer stated he was again in talks to produce. On December 6, 2013, it was again announced that Eddie Murphy would reprise the role of Axel Foley and Brett Ratner would direct. [28] Murphy was paid $15 million for his involvement. [29] On May 2, 2014, Deadline announced that Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec would be writing the screenplay. [30] [31]
On June 27, 2014, in an interview with Rolling Stone , Murphy discussed returning to the edgier type of character of Axel Foley after years of making family-friendly films. "I haven't done a street guy, working class, a blue-collar character in ages so maybe it's like, 'Oh, wow, I didn't remember he was able to do that,'" Murphy said. According to studio reports on the film's plot, Foley will return to Detroit after leaving his job in Beverly Hills and he will be faced with the coldest winter on record to navigate the new rules and old enemies of one of America's most tenacious cities. The state of Michigan approved $13.5 million in film incentives, based on an estimated $56.6 million of filmmaker spending in the state. The film will be shot in and around Detroit and is estimated to provide jobs for 352 workers. The film was originally scheduled for a March 25, 2016 release, [32] but on May 6, 2015, Paramount Pictures pulled Beverly Hills Cop IV from its release schedule, due to script concerns. [33] [34] On June 14, 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, directors of the Belgian drama Black , would direct the film. [35] [36] [37] In September 2017, Arbi and Fallah stated their interest in casting Tom Hardy or Channing Tatum to star alongside Murphy. [38]
In August 2019, the film was described as still being in the developmental phase. [39] [40] On October 1, 2019, in an interview with Collider , Murphy announced that principal photography would begin after the filming of Coming 2 America . [41] On November 14, 2019, Deadline Hollywood announced that Paramount Pictures made a one-time license deal, with an option for a sequel, with Netflix to develop the film. [42] In May 2020, after delays in the filmmaking business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Arbi and Fallah confirmed they were still attached as co-directors and that a new screenwriter was working on a new script for the film. [43] [44] In April 2022, Arbi and Fallah left the film to focus on Batgirl (prior to its cancellation), [45] with Mark Molloy hired to replace them. [46] In the same article, Will Beall was announced to have written the script. [46] In March 2023, Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten were given credit for the screenplay, with Beall also receiving story credit. [47]
In February 2022, the film entered pre-production and received a California state tax credit of $16,059,000. [48] Principal photography began on August 29, 2022, [5] [49] [50] in San Bernardino, along with other areas in California, for 58 days, to generate $78 million in qualified spending in tax incentives. [51] In August 2022, Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were cast in undisclosed roles. [5] In the same month, Paul Reiser and John Ashton were confirmed to reprise their roles as Det. Jeffrey Friedman and Sgt. John Taggart, respectively, from the first two films. [10] [9]
In September, Judge Reinhold and Bronson Pinchot were confirmed to reprise their roles as Sgt. William "Billy" Rosewood and Serge respectively, [8] [11] with Kevin Bacon and Mark Pellegrino joining the cast. [52] [12] Filming occurred in Detroit in November 2022, [53] before production wrapped in early 2023. [54] [1] [2]
By December 2023, it was revealed that Lorne Balfe had composed the film's score. [55]
On February 1, 2024, a slate announcement video from Netflix revealed that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is scheduled to be released on the streaming service on July 3, 2024. [56] [3]
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F received nominations for Location Manager of the Year – Studio Feature and Location Team of the Year – Studio Feature at the 2023 California On Location Awards. [57]
Edward Regan Murphy is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He shot to fame on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. Murphy has received accolades such as the Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.
Brett Ratner is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He is a producer of several films, including the Horrible Bosses series, The Revenant and War Dogs, and was an executive producer of the television series Prison Break.
Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. is an American actor who is best known for his work in Hollywood films during the 1980s. He has starred in several popular films such as Stripes (1981), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and Ruthless People (1986). He has co-starred in all of the films in the Beverly Hills Cop and The Santa Clause franchises.
Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit detective who visits Beverly Hills, California, to solve the murder of his best friend. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser, and Jonathan Banks appear in supporting roles.
Beverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop and the second installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series. Murphy returns as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, who reunites with Beverly Hills detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to stop a criminal organization after Captain Andrew Bogomil is shot and seriously wounded.
Beverly Hills Cop III is a 1994 American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places and Coming to America. It is the third film in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Murphy again plays Detroit detective Axel Foley, who once again returns to Beverly Hills and teams up with detective Billy Rosewood to stop a gang of counterfeiters at a local amusement park called Wonder World.
Detective Alexander James "Axel" Foley is a fictional character, portrayed by Eddie Murphy, and is the titular protagonist of the Beverly Hills Cop film series. He is ranked No. 55 on Empire magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Sylvester Stallone was originally intended to be cast as Axel Foley.
Craig Brewer is an American filmmaker. His 2005 movie Hustle & Flow won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and achieved commercial success, along with an Academy Award for Best Original Song, "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp". He is also known for directing the 2011 remake of Footloose, the 2019 film Dolemite Is My Name and the 2021 film Coming 2 America; the latter two starring Academy Award-nominee Eddie Murphy.
John David Ashton is an American actor, known for his roles in Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II, Some Kind of Wonderful and Midnight Run.
Gilbert Roland Hill was an American politician, police officer, and actor, who was the President of the Detroit City Council. He gained recognition for his role as Inspector Todd in the Beverly Hills Cop film series. He was the runner-up in the 2001 Detroit mayoral election, losing to Kwame Kilpatrick.
Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy.
Beverly Hills Cop is a film franchise of American action comedy films and an unaired television pilot based on characters created by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Danilo Bach. The films star Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop who travels to Beverly Hills, California to investigate a crime, even though it is out of his jurisdiction. There, he meets Detective Billy Rosewood, Sergeant John Taggart, and Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil. Ashton and Cox do not appear in Beverly Hills Cop III. Murphy and Reinhold are the only actors who appear in all four films. Harold Faltermeyer produced the "Axel F" theme song heard throughout the series. The first three films have been distributed by Paramount Pictures, while Netflix is set to distribute the fourth film. The films have grossed a total of $735 million at the worldwide box office.
Will Beall is an American screenwriter and former Los Angeles Police Department detective. He is best known for writing the scripts for Gangster Squad (2013) and the DC Extended Universe films Aquaman (2018) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), and for developing the police TV series Training Day and Deputy, which were canceled after a single season.
Taylour Dominique Paige-Angulo is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as Aziah "Zola" King in the film Zola (2020) which won her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. Other notable performances include her role as Ahsha Hayes in the VH1 sports drama series Hit the Floor, Jean of the Joneses (2016), White Boy Rick (2018), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020), and Boogie (2021).
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are Belgian film and television directors of Moroccan descent. The duo, collectively billed as Adil & Bilall, are known for writing and directing the feature films Image (2014), Black (2015), and Gangsta (2018), as well as directing Bad Boys for Life (2020) and the upcoming Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024), the third and fourth installments of the Bad Boys franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
Coming 2 America is a 2021 American romantic comedy film that serves as a sequel to the 1988 film Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Craig Brewer, from a screenplay by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David Sheffield, and a story by Blaustein, Sheffield, and Justin Kanew, based on characters created by Murphy. It co-stars an ensemble cast of Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes, and James Earl Jones. Coming 2 America was the final film appearance of Louie Anderson before his death in 2022, reprising his role as Maurice from the first film.
Batgirl is an unreleased American superhero film based on the DC character Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. Produced by Burr! Productions and DC Films for the streaming service HBO Max, it was intended to be an installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah from a screenplay by Christina Hodson, and starred Leslie Grace as Batgirl, alongside J. K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, Michael Keaton, and Ivory Aquino.
Mark Molloy is an Australian commercial, television, and film director. He makes his feature film directorial debut with the upcoming Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.