Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop 2 were huge commercial successes upon release and made Eddie Murphy into an even bigger international comedic star. The third film…eh, not so much. But, hey, at least the first two were good!
There has been talk of Beverly Hills Cop 4 for ages now but it has never been able to get made for various reasons (Eddie Murphy’s star has fallen a bit, Paramount wasn’t interested, the failure of Beverly Hills Cop 3). Well, that was before Netflix came a-knockin’. Variety is reporting that the streaming behemoth has landed the rights to Beverly Hills Cop 4 and is looking to make the film and strengthen their growing relationship with Murphy.
Murphy just starred in Dolemite Is My Name for Netflix and seems to enjoy working with them. His career is an interesting position, it feels as though he is on the verge of breaking through again in a big, big way. Netflix knows that now is the right time to be back in the Eddie Murphy business so they are willing to take a chance on Beverly Hills Cop 4. Meanwhile, Paramount is okay with handing the series off because the third one was a flop and Murphy honestly hasn’t had a hit in more than a decade. It’s not often that studios give up once-successful IP but if Terminator: Dark Fate has taught Hollywood anything it’s that sometimes you can’t revive franchises and it might just be best to let some of them ride off into the sunset.
You have to wonder what a Beverly Hills Cop 4 would be like. They tried to convert the movies into a TV series a few years ago, which would have had Murphy appear as Axel Foley as he handed off the franchise to a a younger lead. Will that be the approach for this fourth film or will it be all about Murphy again? I personally would rather it be a straight-up Axel Foley affair like the first three films because without Eddie Murphy running the show, this series is just another cop movie franchise (albeit a very good one). Let’s hope Netflix wants Murphy to suit up again and isn’t looking to pass the baton to someone newer and younger.