With the beloved action comedy franchise finally gearing up to return, Eddie Murphy and Jerry Bruckheimer are already working on Beverly Hills Cop 5 ideas. Following years of stalled development and scrapped follow-ups, Murphy is back as Axel Foley in the upcoming fourth movie, which will see the Detroit Police Lieutenant returning to the titular California city to help his daughter after her life is threatened, ultimately pitting him against a group of corrupt officers. Joining Murphy for the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F cast are returning stars Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot, as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige and Kevin Bacon.
Ahead of the fourth movie’s release, Variety spoke with Murphy and Bruckheimer to discuss Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F‘s release. The conversation eventually turned to the potential future of the franchise, with both confirming that they are putting together plans for a fifth installment, with the producer in particular stating that they have “a couple of stories in mind” for the next movie. Check out what Murphy and Bruckheimer shared below:
Eddie Murphy: They’re developing it. If it comes together, we’ll be doing another one.
Jerry Bruckheimer: We have a couple of stories in mind.
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With the movie having lingered a long time in development hell, many eyes are not only on to whether Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will be worth the wait, but can also put the franchise back on a positive track. Though the 1984 original was the highest-grossing movie of its year and garnered widespread acclaim, its sequels saw diminishing returns both with reviews and at the box office, with the third movie in particular turning Murphy off from the franchise. Check out how the previous three Beverly Hills Cop movies compare on Rotten Tomatoes and the box office below:
| Title | RT Critics Score | RT Audience Score | Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beverly Hills Cop | 83% | 82% | $234.8 Million |
| Beverly Hills Cop II | 46% | 58% | $299.97 Million |
| Beverly Hills Cop III | 11% | 35% | $119.2 Million |
Given Beverly Hills Cop remains one of Murphy’s most loved properties, there is a lot of anticipation for the upcoming fourth movie, especially with his returning co-stars also onboard. Interestingly, it also comes at a time when many of Bruckheimer’s former franchises are finding new success with modern viewers, particularly that of Top Gun after Maverick‘s blockbuster success and Bad Boys with both For Life and Ride or Die. The latter of which has even reignited the 2024 Summer box office after an early slump and scored the highest audience Rotten Tomatoes score for the buddy cop franchise.
Though Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F‘s release won’t be getting the same theatrical treatment as Bad Boys or Top Gun, there is still plenty of opportunity for it to find new footing as a franchise on Netflix and set up Beverly Hills Cop 5. The streamer has already revived plenty of prior properties after their cancellations and gave others new life after some time away from the screen, ranging from Cobra Kai to Chicken Run. Should Axel F find the same level of success as these others, Murphy may just keep Axel Foley around for years to come.