Beverly Hills Cop 4 - Axel is back!

BACK WHERE HE DOESN'T BELONG

By Jerry Saravia

In July of 2013, news was announced that Eddie Murphy would return as Detroit detective Axel Foley in the on/off again project, "Beverly Hills Cop 4." Never mind the fact that Murphy was already back as Axel in the now shelved 2013 TV pilot titled "Beverly Hills Cop" where Axel's son, Aaron Foley (Brandon T. Jackson), tries to escape his father's shadow by enlisting in the Beverly Hills police department. Shelved? Cancelled? Yes, Virginia, there is no "real" Santa Claus. Twenty years ago, networks would have been set ablaze to have Eddie Murphy in a television show (how often do you see Eddie on television, period)! I mean, it is Eddie Murphy, who is not quite the superstar he was back in the 80's and mid-to-late 90's. Reportedly, Paramount Pictures had their heads set in a dizzy mode when watching the pilot due to Murphy's "scene-stealing turn" as the tough-talking Detroit detective. Well, of course, this is the role that made Eddie a superstar and it is his most popular film role ever - it defines everything that mainstream audiences love about Eddie Murphy. 

Brandon T. Jackson and Eddie Murphy in the TV pilot for Beverly Hills Cop

What I don't get is why the pilot was shot and edited and NBC executives marveled at Murphy's performance, and yet abruptly cancelled any plans for more TV episodes? Unless, of course, Murphy's performance is the only aspect of the show that they marveled at (director Barry Sonnenfeld helmed the pilot). At any rate, Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec - the screenwriting duo behind "Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol" - are writing the script for the fourth film. Will Axel's son still be in the script? Will Eddie just hang out in Beverly Hills again with old buddies Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton)? Me thinks so although a little backstory on the potty-mouthed Detroit detective might be nice since, after three movies, we know very little about him. Will Theresa Randle, last seen as Axel's first major squeeze in the entire series ("Beverly Hills Cop III" to be precise), be back? Will she be the mother of Axel's son, if in fact he makes an appearance? Don't count on an appearance by Axel's boss, Inspector Todd (Gil Hill - an actual former Detroit detective) since he was gunned down in the third film - unless they ignore the third film completely which would be okay by me. I don't mind seeing a new sequel with Axel Foley but will modern audiences cater to it since it has been twenty years since the third film, which fizzled at the box-office?  

Eddie Murphy and Theresa Randle at the end of Beverly Hills Cop III