The heat is back on. Eddie Murphy has been on the comeback trail after starring in Dolemite is My Name for Netflix. The iconic 80s comedian aimed to reclaim some glory, for better or for worse, in the aftermath of his Dolemite acclaim. Murphy would revisit Zamunda with the sequel to one of his most beloved comedies in Coming 2 America. Murphy has also added a couple of new titles to his current resume with You People and the upcoming Prime Video Christmas comedy, Candy Cane Lane.
The big title Murphy will be returning to is Beverly Hills Cop. After years of being in development limbo, Axel Foley is set to drive in the hills of Beverly with the Netflix original Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley, which curiously took its title cue from another recent Jerry Bruckheimer legacy sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. ComicBook.com has just passed along the first look at the sequel by way of Empire. In the image, as you can see, you can take trouble away from Axel, but you can’t take Axel away from trouble as he looks to be in a sticky situation involving a crashed vehicle and video-recording bystanders.
The film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, glowed about his enthusiasm for being on set with Murphy after all these years. “Anytime he walks on set, you never know what you’re going to get. And it’s always pretty brilliant. Every day he’s there throws you back to the ’80s.” Bruckheimer is also excited to show audiences a new foil for Murphy in the form of an unlikely partner played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He states the new character “gets stuck with Axel and they are hysterical together. Joseph is such a great straight man for Eddie.”
Murphy himself reflected on his iconic character. He previously explained taking the role back in 1984, “I didn’t feel any pressure. When you’re young, you kind of take everything for granted. So, that’s all I knew. You know? Stuff started happening fast for me, so I didn’t even think about it. Now, when I look back, I’m like, ‘Wow! I was really young!’ 48 Hrs, I’m 20 years old in 48 Hrs. You aren’t thinking that at the time. But, now I can say, ‘Wow. I was really young.’ There was no pressure back then, I was just rolling with it.”