It’s been nearly 40 years since the Beverly Hills Cop franchise launched. This summer, Eddie Murphy reprises his iconic role of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. How do you get an audience to invest in a character nearly four decades old? If there’s anyone who has the answer, it’s Jerry Bruckheimer.
Bruckheimer has a proven track record of producing legacy sequels and nostalgia plays. Bad Boys for Life was a hit in 2020 and led to Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to 1986’s Top Gun, grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide in 2022. What’s the secret to success for these long-awaited sequels? According to Bruckheimer, it’s all about emotion.
“[Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F] is an emotional story between [Axel] and his estranged daughter [Taylour Paige], so it’s about how we bring them back together again through the course of the movie,” Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter. “But we still have all the bells and whistles: the humor, the action and all those kinds of things that you expect when you see Axel.”
Who is Involved in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F?
In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Murphy is back as the titular cop for the fourth time. Cast members reprising their roles from previous Beverly Hills Cop films include Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood, John Ashton as John Taggart, Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge. Taylour Paige plays Axel’s daughter, Jane Saunders. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Kevin Bacon round out the ensemble.
Netflix’s official synopsis reads: “Detective Axel Foley is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.”
Mark Molly makes his feature film directorial debut with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten wrote the script from a story by Beall. Bruckheimer produces alongside Murphy and Chad Oman.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F streams on Netflix on July 3, 2024.
