Caffeinated Clint
Eddie Murphy back as Axel Foley
So I see Guardian Unlimted is mentioning the possibility of a “Beverly Hills Cop 4”. The Heat is back on….again, huh?
Well, let me just say, the sequel is in very, very, very early development. Oh, and remember, they’ve tried to get this off the ground before. Three or four times before, actually. So don’t get in line, just yet.
A couple of years back, Jerry Bruckheimer announced his intentions to resurrect Alex Foley, but shortly after – for numerous reasons, but mainly financial – forfeited his option to produce the film.
Still, Eddie Murphy Productions (now pretty much just a rat, bit of cheese and series of empty electricity sockets) continued to develop the product, enlisting writers until they could find a script to their liking.
One of them [script] marked a return to the lesser-budgeted, more comedic, tone of the original 1984 film with Axel re-teaming with old pals Taggart (John Ashton), now working airport security, and Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) – and, briefly, Det. Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) – to track down a constantly-relocating crime lord. Because of some of the airport/terrorist themes – written not long after the events of September 11, when terrorism was a bit of an off-topic for features – it was placed on the always-warm back burner.
The latest outline of the film, said to be a fuse of a couple of the previously penned scripts, will thankfully retain the feel of the original (hopefully Taggart, Rosewood and Jeffrey will still be in there). And no, it won’t be written, or directed, or produced by Quentin Tarantino. Paramount merely sniggered at the news….Tarantino is apparently a big fan of Murphy (and rumours persist that he plans to use him in “Inglorious Bastards”), but as far as I’m aware, has never ever been attached to the project. Murphy, according to the site, is happy with the outline. It won’t be about terrorists…as such. I hear.
So why now? Not before? One word : “Dreamgirls”.
Murphy is apparently great in it, and they’re predicting big things for both it, and the comics’ turn in the film…. The plan is to get a “Cop 4” up and going so that it’s ready to roll, should such a big-time comeback indeed happen on the back of the film…as it seems it will….
Anyway, long way off, but best to keep an eye on your tail pipes – and your bananas for that matter – over the next year or two. Foley’s about to get his badge back.
