The police comedy franchise will return to US theaters on March 25, 2016 with Eddie Murphy in the title role once again, Paramount indicated.
The franchise will be revived through this fourth installment, which will arrive in theaters 22 years after Beverly Hills Cop 3. Eddie Murphy will reprise his legendary performance as Axel Foley, the fearless, fast-talking cop.
For the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie, the protagonist will leave sunny California to return to his hometown of Detroit.
Jerry Bruckheimer and Paramount are producing the feature, which will be helmed by Brett Ratner. The director behind the Rush Hour franchise worked with Eddie Murphy on the comedy Tower Heist in 2011.
Ratner will follow in the footsteps of Martin Brest, Tony Scott and John Landis, who helmed the three previous movies in 1984, 1987 and 1994.
The new Axel Foley adventure will be written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. The screenwriters are known for their scripts for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) and for the new adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is due for release this October.
Last season, Beverly Hills Cop nearly returned to the screen as a TV series, as CBS ordered a pilot for a comedy on the life of Axel Foley’s son. The project hit a dead end, but Eddie Murphy’s brief appearance in the pilot sparked a wave of enthusiasm for the character of Axel Foley.