You know, when the word first came out a long time ago that there was some movement in getting a Beverly Hills Cop 4 movie made, I treated the news like you would when your girlfriend tells you she’s “late”. Just ignore the news and hope that it all turns out ok. And for the most part the Beverly Hills Cop 4 whispers have died down… but it looks like ignoring the problem didn’t make it go away. The word now is that Beverly Hills Cop 4 is being fast tracked and they’ve even got a director in mind.
My friends over at IESB give us this:
The trades reported this evening that Eddie Murphy has signed on to return for a fourth installment of the action comedy as one of his most beloved characters Axel Foley. Director Brett Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand, Rush Hour films) is in negotiations to take the helm on this one.
They’re saying this one could be in theaters in 2 years. I won’t lie to you folks… I HATE this idea.
The original BHC was great, the second one was good, the third one was ok. The quality and laughs died off more and more as the series continued, as did public interest as the box office showed:
BHC 1 – $234 million
BHC 2 – $153 million
BHC 3 – $42 million
Axl Foley was a fun character… but he was a gimmick, a schtick… and schticks get tired. Not to mention that Eddie Murphy seems to have lost his ability to be… you know… FUNNY about 10 years or so ago.
I’ve repeatedly said that I would LOVE to see Murphy get back to doing some gritty, edgy and raw humor that he once did so damn well. Beverly Hills Cop 4 is not the vehicle for that. The studio many THINK the success of other old franchises means fans will be lining up around the block to see a BHC 4 film… but I think they’ll see just who wrong they are. Horrible idea.
