Tower Heist star and soon-to-be Oscar host Eddie Murphy opened up to Rolling Stone magazine for a cover story that refreshingly candid (given the fact that the ultra-famous comedian is largely press shy).
He talks about his reputation as a Hollywood recluse. (“I'm grown, and where else am I supposed to be? I'm supposed to be home. ... If I were out in the clubs every night, they'd be saying, 'That's a shame, look at him, 50 years old, he's still out at these clubs.'”) He explains why he’s veering away from family comedies. (“I’m trying to do some edgy stuff.”) And he talks about potentially returning to stand-up comedy. ("If I ever get back onstage, I'm going to have a really great show for you all. … An hour and a half of stand-up and about 40 minutes of my shitty band.)
But this bit of news really caught our eye. Despite rumors that have floated around since 2006 at least, Murphy says plans for a fourth Beverly Hills Cop are dead.
"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."
And with that, I love Eddie Murphy. Seriously, he said everything right. The idea of a Cop television show – maybe on a cable network – could be brilliant. I went on record a while back saying that Tower Heist was pretty damn funny, and seemed to mark Murphy’s return to adult-oriented comedy. And I love the fact that he’s not willing to shill for a substandard Cop script just for the easy paycheck. Listen, if anyone can have a career renaissance after 50, it’s Murphy, who is remarkably gifted and sharp as a dagger. Personally, I can’t wait to see him host the Oscars … and I’m thrilled we won’t see him on the big screen as Axel Foley again.
