Netflix Announces Long Awaited ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Sequel
In long-awaited and heavily speculated news, Netflix has officially announced the fourth Beverly Hills Cop film, subtitled Axel F, as part of their upcoming slate going into the new year. Set to drop in Summer 2024, the film will mark the first franchise release in two decades; that steep gap is purposeful, as the 1994 threequel is one that fans and critics alike have notoriously preferred to forget.
The new film, in addition to seeing series star Eddie Murphy return in the lead along with franchise favorites Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, is penned by Will Beall (Aquaman, Zack Snyder’s Justice League), Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten(The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent). Directing is feature-film newcomer Mark Molloy.
Accompanying the announcement was a 90-second teaser trailer, sporting oodles of maniacal action and a sneak peak at a predictably perfect turn from Eddie Murphy. The franchise, despite the time jump, appears not to have missed a beat, finding form in the familiar B-movie fun that popularized the films in the first place.
Though the film actually happening in the first place was no guarantee. In an interview with Collider, Murphy revealed he’d seen “five or six different scripts, and it was never right.” What turned the tide for his return was the original film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, joining the project and getting involved with everything, including the screenplay. “…he knew what Beverly Hills Cop was supposed to be. When he got back involved, that’s when it all started to come together.”
There’s a spirit to these sorts of films; the same spirit that Eddie Murphy was so cautious about preserving is the one that preserved the beloved originals for so long. Both Murphy and Netflix appear confident that they’ve found that lightning in a bottle once more in Axel F.
With the reveal and teaser dropping an entire half-year (at least) before the film, Netflix is putting their money where their mouth is. This is great news for fans, who’s patience should be well rewarded with continued news, interviews, and subsequent teasers over the next six months or so as we crawl towards that summer release date.
Until then, they’ll waste no time in returning to a trailer that already has the world on watch, despite its short runtime. In just three days, the teaser has amassed a commanding 22 million views and counting on YouTube, with thousands of comments singing praises for what’s been revealed so far. Only time will tell if it pays off, but the folks at Netflix really couldn’t ask for a better start.
The upcoming summer will also mark 40 years since the release of the first Beverly Hills Cop. That film (and to many, its sequel as well) still remains the pinnacle of 80’s action comedies, setting a standard for both genres at the time and standing strong today as a respective classic in each.
It’ll be a perfect time for newcomers to jump into the series (the first film is already streaming on Netflix), as well as for fans to revisit it in anticipation for the fourth release. Regardless of how you spin it, movie fans should be in for a California-size treat when Beverley Hills Cop: Axel F hits Netflix in summer of 2024.