Ronny Cox’s four-word answer to Eddie Murphy’s ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ sequel sets the tone for ‘Axel F’

Eddie Murphy said “yes” to Beverly Hills Cop 4 after finally finding happiness in its script after decades. Judge Reinhold was always psyched to return, and so were John Ashton as well as Paul Reiser, who were eager to take part after sitting out Beverly Hills Cop 3.

Be ready to see Bronson Pinchot back as Serge as well. But in case the recently released teaser of the film hasn’t killed your lethargically flickering hope for Ronny Cox making a comeback as Captain Andrew Bogomil and navigating a fresh batch of chaos with Axel, Billy, and Taggart, I am here to remind you two things:

1. Why Cox is not in the film and will probably refrain from every future project in the franchise (if there are any).
2. Why the above sentence has those four words in parentheses — FYI, they are because of the four words Cox uttered more than 10 years ago.

Now, actors like Ashton didn’t appear in the third Beverly Cops Hill film due to scheduling conflicts, but did express interest in reprising their respective roles when — and at the time the biggest “if” — the fourth film ever saw the light of day. But not Cox.

Dear Ronny here didn’t just shoot down the offer of joining his former co-stars amidst the dreary walls of Beverly Hills Police Department in Beverly Hills Cop 3 (which didn’t even try to explain his absence); he also brutally dismantled what shreds of dignity the sequel managed to retain after being severely thrashed by critics and audience alike for being the weakest film in the trilogy. It was even nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards and to date, retains the lowly 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In a chat with AV Club in 2012, Cox flippantly pushed aside all those flimsy justifications of scheduling issues or delays in the making of the script being the reason for his absence in the 1994 film. The real reason?

“They wanted me to be in Beverly Hills Cop III, but… I read the script.”

Ouch!

Not only did Cox’s statement hit Beverly Hills Cop 3 where it hurts even eight years after its release, but it is also the black cloud that now hounds Beverly Cops Hill: Axel F.

The last film in the franchise, and the reactions it triggered, were so negative that it took almost three decades to bring the fourth film on track. It also doesn’t spark major confidence in the project when we look at the fact that the film hit the floors and is set to release during a time when many franchises are cashing in on the nostalgia factor to make their often unnecessary sequels a hit — a trick that doesn’t always work (see: another Murphy revival, Coming 2 America).

As mentioned above, the 2013 attempt to revive the franchise never managed to take a proper first breath before CBS clipped its wings and shelved it so hard that it only cropped up as a point in later years when those associated with the show wanted to thrash the network.

For now, the past is not in favor of Beverly Hills Cops: Axel F. It remains to be seen whether its history is a cross the film will just simply bear, or disappointingly repeat.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 hits Netflix in mid-2024.