Eddie Murphy has had a bit of a renaissance over the past few years. After taking a break for several years, the actor jumped back onto the Hollywood scene in a big way through his leading role in Dolemite Is My Name before making his long-awaited return to Saturday Night Live. More recently, the actor reprised his iconic role as Prince Akeem in Coming 2 America, much to the delight of many fans. However, many are also still waiting to see if Murphy will reprise his role as detective Axel Foley in a Beverly Hills Cop 4. Now, the actor and comedian has provided an update on the project.
At this point, it’s safe to say that Beverly Hills Cop 4 is just as (if not more) anticipated as Coming 2 America was before its release this year. Eddie Murphy recently appeared on DESUS & MERO and, during the interview, he was asked about the status of the film, and it sounds like the project isn’t completely dead:
They’ve been trying to make another Beverly Hills Cop for 15 years now. Right now, Netflix has it, and they’re trying to develop a script. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing next. But I’m not doing nothing until the script is right.
Eddie Murphy likely feels incredibly ownership over the Beverly Hills Cop franchise and the character of Axel Foley. That, combined with his desire to churn out quality content, makes it understandable why he doesn’t want to just dive into just any version of the long-gestating fourth installment.
The road to Beverly Hills Cop 4 has been a long one, to say the least. Talks initially began shortly after the release of 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III, which received poor reviews from critics. Talks eventually fizzled out but were reignited in the early 2000s when Brett Ratner was signed to direct for Paramount Pictures. Nothing ultimately materialized and, by the early 2010s, the film had been scrapped in favor of a TV show centered on Axel Foley’s son. But the pilot, which was produced for CBS, was not picked up for a series order.
By 2016, it was reported that Beverly Hills Cop 4 would be helmed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the pair that eventually went on to direct Bad Boys for Life. And last summer, they confirmed that they were indeed still attached to the film and that a screenwriter was working on a treatment.
It’s hard to say whether or not Beverly Hills Cop 4 will become a reality, though it’s encouraging that Eddie Murphy seems to be open to it if the screenplay comes together. The chances of the film happening certainly aren’t slim. After all, there was a time when a Coming to America sequel was only a pipe dream.
The Beverly Hills Cop trilogy is available to stream on HBO Max.
