Could Beverly Hills Cop be getting a small screen sequel? It certainly sounds that way. Rumor has it, there's a project in the works that would bring Eddie Murphy's character Axel Foley (or possibly his son!) to the small screen. What's more, not only is Murphy reportedly attached to this project, but so is The Shield's Shawn Ryan.
According to Vulture's sources, Shawn Ryan, Eddie Murphy and Sony Pictures Television have teamed up to develop a small screen adaptation of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Word is, they've already begun pitching the project to broadcast networks as of this afternoon. Murphy would reportedly be on board to executive produce and guest star occasionally.
Beverly Hills Cop released into theaters in 1984 and starred comedian Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a fast-talking Detroit cop who heads off to Beverly Hills to investigate a murder. Two sequels followed. While I'm sure some people will scoff at the idea of an adaptation or sequel for the films, complaining about lack of originality and all that, I can't help but see the potential in the premise as the set-up for a TV show, not to mention the obvious appeal added by Murphy and Shawn Ryan's involvement.
Shawn Ryan has plenty of experience with cop shows, having created The Shield and served as the showrunner for The Unit and FX's buddy-detective series Terriers. He also created the short-lived Fox cop series The Chicago Code. While I'm not sure any one of these series in particular matches the tone of the Beverly Hills Cop films exactly, Ryan's proven to be adept at telling compelling stories involving law enforcers. Ryan's characters are interesting and not superhuman or flawless, which is something that makes his series stand out above some of the other cop-focused shows out there. I'd love to see what he does with Axel Foley, or Foley's son.
Vulture mentions an interview Murphy did with Rolling Stone last fall, during which me mentioned a series that would follow Axel Foley's son, with his own former character set as the chief of police in Detroit, which would allow Murphy to appear in the pilot and "show up here and there." But there's no word on whether this is the actual concept for the show that's being pitched to networks now. What the site's sources did confirm is that it would be a buddy cop show and hour-long crime procedural with "strong comedic elements." Murphy would appear in the pilot, which has to be a big selling point for any network. And we might see him in "a few special episodes" in Season 1.
At this point, it sounds like this is in the early development stages, but it should be interesting to see what becomes of it from here. And then we can start speculating on casting (and wish-listing guest appearances from people like Bronson Pinchot and Judge Reinhold).
