The upcoming Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is being anticipated with anxious eyes as Eddie Murphy returns to his beloved role of Axel Foley, which solidified his status as an A-list star in 1984. It’s seemingly a delicate thing to get right as the nature and quality of Eddie’s movies (and comedy in general) has evolved over time. Even with a director like John Landis, for many, Beverly Hills Cop III just didn’t quite land. While there are a lot of elements in place for this fourth entry, the many stop/starts and years stewing in development hell and a director who hasn’t yet established himself can naturally make fans a bit antsy.
Now, Netflix has released an all-new peek at the upcoming Eddie Murphy vehicle with a clip from the movie. And “vehicle” is the word, as the clip features a rushing Axel trying to coax Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character into piloting a helicopter, much to his chagrin. The synopsis of the film reads, “Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.”
Despite being older, Eddie can still have his energy is turned up to the quintessential Axel Foley level in this clip as he continuously barks at Gordon-Levitt. The film’s director, Mark Molloy, told Netflix, “Some of the funniest moments in Axel F are when Eddie’s improvising. For me, a big part of my job was to create the right environment, cast the right people around Eddie to allow him to do what he does best.” Although we’re far removed from 1984, Jerry Bruckheimer says the juxtaposition between Detroit and Beverly Hills is as large as it ever was, “Detroit is a much different city than Los Angeles and especially Beverly Hills. He still has the same kind of wonderment at the things you see walking down Rodeo Drive.” Molloy adds, “As we were scouting going from Detroit to Beverly Hills, the cultural contrast that made Axel a fish out of water in the eighties still is so vivid. They might just be the two most opposite places in America.”