“Beverly Hills Cop 4” brings danger back to action movies

It’s a great time for an 80s franchise. Instead of hitting theaters this week, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F goes to Netflix, where Eddie Murphy will reprise his iconic role as Axel Foley, along with a few familiar faces. It took 30 years for this part to get the green light, but when the remarkable Jerry Bruckheimer participated in the initiative, the ball started rolling and they brought in the debut feature film director Mark Molloywho had a strong vision for Foley’s return.

“They love me in Beverly Hills,” Axel assures his long-time friend Jeffrey (again played by Paul Reiser), in the teaser. The Detroit detective has packed his bags and is – once again – on his way to the Sunshine State. But to come back a fourth time, the stakes have to be high. This time, Axel’s daughter Jane (Taylor Paige), is threatened. The two join forces with Detective Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and some old friends, John Taggart (John Ashton) and Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and finally uncover a conspiracy.

In this interview with Collider’s Steve WeintraubBruckheimer and Molloy talk about how they bring fans (new and old) back to the classic 80s action that Beverly Hills Cop a classic for any movie night. They talk about how they avoided elaborate CGI and instead used practical action scenes that bring the danger back to this explosive franchise, and discuss which scene was the most difficult to pull off. They also talk about the benefits of filming on location in Los Angeles, the closure of a major boulevard, and Bruckheimer gives an update on the long-awaited Pirates of the Caribbean Movie.

Watch the full interview in the video above or read the transcript below.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter’s life is threatened. He comes to the rescue with his old friends John Taggart and Billy Rosewood to uncover a conspiracy.

Release date

July 3, 2024

director

Mark Molloy

Authors

Will Beall, Daniel Petrie Jr., Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten

Studio

Paramount Pictures

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“Beverly Hills Cop 4” brings the classic danger of the 70s and 80s back to life

COLLIDER: What I just couldn’t believe about this film is how much practical work you did. I’m sick of intrusive CGI. I really liked what you did on Wilshire Boulevard and at the police station with the helicopter. How difficult was it to do all of that practically in LA, where nothing is shot in LA anymore?

MARK MOLLOY: It’s much harder that way, but I was determined from the beginning to make the danger seem real. I agree, sometimes there’s so much CGI these days that everything is so over-designed and perfect that you no longer feel the danger. And I look back at these films, Beverly Hills Cop 1 And Beverly Hills Cop 2and a lot of ’70s and ’80s action, and the danger is much more apparent. But it was difficult, especially on location in LA, flying through the streets in helicopters. It was much more difficult. But I’m glad you can feel that when you see the film.

As a producer, can you talk about the challenges and what it was like to make all of this happen and be able to shoot in LA?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: They want you to shoot here in our film communities. Unfortunately, that’s more expensive, so you have to convince the studio to spend the extra money to make it happen. Netflix did a great job of that. They understood the importance of doing this right and being in Beverly Hills, in California. It was a real pleasure to do it right, and they’re the ones who wrote the check, so we have to thank them.

I would also like to thank Netflix. I like to talk about editing because that’s where it all comes together. Can you talk a little bit about what you learned from early screenings with friends and family or test screenings and what influenced the final film?

MOLLOY: The tone of the movie was right. We realized there were some areas we could improve, but we also realized that the fans loved it. You know what I mean? The fans really embraced it, so we wanted to stick with that. But we also learned a lot about how new people come in and how we introduce new people to the franchise.

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“Beverly Hills Cop” could have had a completely different Axel Foley

“Beverly Hills Cop” was almost a serious, action-packed film.

Were there any major changes or specific things you discussed where an early screening pointed you in the right direction?

BRUCKHEIMER: Always. You find scenes you don’t need. They repeat themselves, the audience wants to move on. They understand. They are much smarter than we are. They always come forward and notice our mistakes. It’s great when they do that.

What shot or sequence did you both discuss the most?

BRUCKHEIMER: I think the hardest part is the helicopter. I think that was the most dangerous and the most unsettling for all of us to get right. He wanted to shoot on camera and we supported him, and we had to go through the city of Beverly Hills. We had the consent of the shop owners and everyone else that we could take over the streets. And when I say dangerous, it’s only because of the phone lines and power lines, when helicopters fly so low, and when the wind changes and all kinds of crazy things can happen. But touch wood. On screen, it’s really exciting. We pulled it off with no problems.

There is none, but Two Possible scripts for “Pirates of the Caribbean”

Jerry, I am of course a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies, and I know there has been a lot of talk about what will happen next, so where are we today, at this moment, in terms of another Pirates Movie?

BRUCKHEIMER: We’re working on it. Jeff Nathanson is working on a script. We have two, and we don’t know who’s going to win the horse race yet. But hopefully I’ll have a script in the next month, and maybe Disney will want to do it then.

I’m sure they will. This is your first big-budget Hollywood film. What surprised you about the process that you hadn’t really thought about?

MOLLOY: So this is not only my first big Hollywood film, this is my first film. (Laughs) Not that I was surprised, but it’s just the magic that happens when you see Eddie Murphy, Kevin Bacon, Joe (Gordon-Levitt), those guys, on screen together and you’re a first-time director watching it unfold in front of you. I was just the happiest. It’s just wonderful to see incredibly talented people like this come together and share the screen.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F can be streamed on Netflix from July 3rd.

Watch on Netflix