Beverly Hills Cop Gets a Revival in Axel Foley Netflix Film

Anyone who remembers the comedic crime busting antics of Eddie Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop” might be pleased to learn that the franchise is getting another installment courtesy of Netflix. Those fans may also be thrilled to learn that Eddie Murphy and many other cast members of the original films, like John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot; will be returning in their usual roles like Foley’s partner Jeffrey Freidman.

As far as the suits involved are concerned, the venture is being directed by Mark Molloy and uses a screenplay penned by Will Beall. Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Melissa Reid and Eddie Murphy are co-producing the venture. The executive producers include Charisse Hewitt-Webster and Ray Angelic.

While details of the film’s plot are still being kept a secret, shooting has already begun within California and production entails $15.7 million in tax credits. For an assessment of just how valuable the franchise was, the original Beverly Hills Cop trilogy grossed a collective $712 million. The films came out in 1984, 1987 and 1994.

Originally, news about this project indicated that the sequel would be getting a license through Netflix with plans for a sequel. Eddie Murphy had already done some prior work with Netflix by way of the film “Dolemite Is My Name.” That Golden-Globe-nominated film had Murphy playing the role of Rudy Ray Moore, an actor known for performing in blaxploitation flicks.

For the unfamiliar, the franchise focused on Detroit detective Axel Foley leaving his jurisdiction to pursue crime in California. The second film had Foley returning to Beverly Hills to help end a gang of gunrunners and the third film has Foley assisting in quashing the efforts of counterfeiters who take the life of a friend. The iconic theme song, “Axel F,” was composed by German musician Harold Faltermeyer.

While the film trilogy was initially planned to continue in the form of a television series on the CBS network and even had a one-hour pilot, the show was intended to focus on Foley’s son; test audiences only wanted Foley as a recurring character, leading to the project’s being shelved.