See the first photo of Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop 4' film on Netflix
Eddie Murphy will soon reprise his role as Axel Foley in the long-awaited fourth film in the "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise — the first in nearly 30 years.
Netflix on Tuesday teased the 2024 release of "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley" on the streaming platform in a post shared on X, formerly Twitter. Featuring a photo of Murphy in character as Foley wearing his trademark Detroit Lions jacket, the post simply said: "He's back. Axel Foley returns in 2024!"
It's been nearly 30 years since Murphy last appeared on the big screen as Foley in 1994's "Beverly Hills Cop 3." The film received negative reviews from critics, and was even considered by Murphy to be the weakest of the trilogy.
After attempts to make a fourth film have stalled for decades, the long-awaited sequel will debut sometime next year, featuring both familiar faces and some new cast members.
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'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley' cast: Who stars with Eddie Murphy?
Hitting the big screen in 1984, the original "Beverly Hills Cop" catapulted Murphy into superstardom.
The classic buddy-cop action comedy spurred two sequels, all starring Murphy as the titular street-smart cop who came to California from Detroit to investigate crime and corruption.
While Paramount distributed the original trilogy of films, Netflix will distribute the fourth, with Jerry Bruckheimer returning to produce.
"Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley" reunites Murphy with franchise co-stars Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot. New to the franchise are stars including Kevin Bacon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylour Paige.
Bacon will portray a special unit officer in the Los Angeles Police Department, while Gordon-Levitt will portray a straight-laced cop who teams up with Foley, according to Empire. Paige, meanwhile, who will portray Foley's criminal defense attorney daughter.
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What is the movie about?
The fourth installment, directed by Mark Molloy, finds an older Axel Foley drawn back to Beverly Hills to investigate the untimely death of a long-time confidant.
During his investigation, Foley uncovers corruption within the Beverly Hills police force and teams up with a young officer to expose it.
Bruckheimer told Empire that Murphy and Gordon-Levitt formed a palpable comedic duo.
"He gets stuck with Axel and they are hysterical together," Bruckheimer told the outlet. "Joseph is such a great straight man for Eddie."
Bruckheimer also promised a "brilliant" performance from Murphy.
"Anytime he walks on set, you never know what you’re going to get," he said. "Every day he's there throws you back to the '80s."
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]