The classic Beverly Hills Cop trilogy is getting a long-awaited sequel in Beverly Hills Cop 4. Ever since the third movie was released, this sequel has been teased many times but in the end is canceled over and over again. Even with the time that has passed since the last movie, the series was popular enough upon its release that Paramount was not ready to give up on its sequel. Trilogy star Eddie Murphy has claimed he wouldn’t do the movie until the script was right, which was the biggest issue this production has had.

Paramount Pictures made a deal with Netflix to produce the movie, and things are looking up for the sequel with new directors and a new screenwriter. Not only is Murphy on board with the current progress of the new script, but the studio is already scheduling a two-month shoot in California. Though there is no release date or plot announced for the movie yet, there are other details that have been revealed. Here’s a look at what’s in the works.

Updated May 2022: If you love the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, you’ll be happy to know we’ve updated this article with additional info surrounding the upcoming sequel, including its new director.

Who’s Who in the Cast and Crew

So far, it is confirmed that Eddie Murphy will return to reprise his role as Axel Foley. As the star of the franchise, it’s hard to make a sequel without him. However, nothing else has been announced regarding the cast. It’s not clear whether some reoccurring characters, such as Detective Sergeant William ‘Billy’ Rosewood (played by Judge Reinhold) or Detective Sergeant John Taggart (played by John Ashton) will return. There are some people who feel that the movie wouldn’t be the same without them, though. Nonetheless, it’s certain that new characters and newer actors will be introduced, considering how long it’s been since the last movie’s release.


Related: 12 Eddie Murphy Movies We Couldn’t Live Without

According to Deadline, Mark Molloy recently signed on to direct the project, replacing Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who had signed on in 2016. The duo is known for their action movies, recently directing the 2020 success Bad Boys For Life. Beverly Hills Cop 4 will mark Molloy first feature film for a major studio, as the rising star has gained acclaim on the commercial circuit, specifically with Apple spots.

Molloy is joined by an unrevealed screenwriter to help shape the movie, but hopefully this will be the last time they need to change members of the production team, as production can’t move forward when they keep on changing. This is evident from the two different producers — the current producer is unknown — along with the three different directors and five different screenwriters that have tried and failed to bring this project to life. Considering the current success of the new directors and the investment Netflix is putting into it, this looks like the best chance the movie has had yet.

Development and Release Date

Netflix and Paramount Pictures made the Beverly Hills Cop deal in 2019 — just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. That has certainly put a damper on plans, delaying any possible filming the same way that everything else in the industry was affected. Because of this, there are few details released of the current attempt at the movie. Based on the other attempts, though, there are some things they probably won’t try again, and can be cleared out of the way for the new sequel.

Related: Eddie Murphy Signs Three Movie Deal With Amazon Studios

First things first—Beverly Hills Cop 4 was first announced shortly after the release of the third movie, originally planned to be released in the mid-90’s, but plans fell through. It was announced once more in 2006, but was once again shelved when they decided to make a TV series spin off. The TV series was going to focus around Axel’s son Arron. Close to the relase of that, Paramount announced they were going to give the movie another try. However, even after filming the pilot episode, CBS passed on the series and the show never aired. Eddie Murphy didn’t want to keep bringing his character back for it, and the studio didn’t want to do it without him, so it fell apart.


Paramount did try and release the movie again in 2016, going so far as to have a release date for late March. They had contracts with the city of Detroit to do filming but was pulled from release due to concerns with the script. Eddie Murphy wouldn’t shoot the movie unless the script was right, which clearly wasn’t even after several rewrites. Still, just two months after the supposed March release was when Paramount hired the current directors, and now with Netflix’s deal, they finally seem to be headed in the right direction. Not only is Netflix on board to flim and release Beverly Hills Cop 4, but the contract with Paramount even offers a possible fifth movie if this one is well-received. All eyes should be on Netflix now as they hopefully solve the issues that Paramount could never figure out, and maybe the buddy-cop classic can finally ascend from development hell.

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