Though the franchise has been on ice for some time, we keep hearing mention of Beverly Hills Cop 4 every now and then. Believe it or not, the film is still on the docket over in Tinseltown, and we finally have something concrete to report concerning the matter.
While promoting Dolemite is My Name, the legendary Eddie Murphy confessed the following to Collider, saying that, yes, a fourth installment is one of the next items on his agenda:
“Yeah, that’s what we’re doing after Coming to America, we’re doing Beverly Hills Cop and then, then the plan is to get back on stage and do stand up and then kind of that’s what I’ll be doing mostly is stand up and Beverly Hills Cop.“
For the younger readers out there who may not be as familiar with Murphy’s impressive resume, the three flicks making up the Beverly Hills Cop series are those often most associated with the veteran actor. While they were certainly packed with laughs, there were serious stories serving as the backbone for each. And on top of that, one of the 1980’s most iconic theme songs was spawned from the first installment.
To be honest, I’m less nervous about Beverly Hills Cop 4 because the right creative team could easily craft yet another hilariously entertaining entry into the saga. Coming to America, meanwhile, is my favorite movie starring Murphy, and essentially captured lightning in a bottle. Everything about it just clicked, and I’m not sure if that same magic can be duplicated by its sequel.
With Murphy returning to Saturday Night Live for a hosting gig later this year and a subsequent stand-up run to follow, one could say the comedian is really recapturing his earlier years. To his credit, he’s willing to confront this topic, adding:
“I keep saying it, these movies and Saturday Night Live, I’m looking at it as a book end and if I decide I just want to stay on the couch forever, I ended it on a funny note and I’ll do standup if I’m feeling creative. I can get up on stage and do my standup and if, you know, some incredible filmmaker comes along with some great movie or there’s a great opportunity, but I’m not going to be making movies two, three a year like I back in the early days because I like to just be home with the kids.”
Seeing as how both Delirious and Raw will forever remain untouchable stand-up classics, I’m intrigued to see how Murphy’s next foray will add to those, now that he’s had more life experience. As for Beverly Hills Cop 4, we’ll keep you posted as more develops.
