The Mumford High School T-shirt-wearing, butt-kicking, wise-cracking anti-hero Axel Foley was the pride of Detroit in the 1980s when Beverly Hills Cop hit the big screen.
Eddie Murphy has reportedly signed on to reprise his role as Detroit cop Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop 4. AP file photo
DETROIT, MI -- The Mumford High School T-shirt-wearing, butt-kicking, wise-cracking anti-hero Axel Foley was the pride of Detroit in the 1980s when Beverly Hills Cop hit the big screen.
And a fourth installment of the movie series is in the works nearly 30 years after the original blockbuster, according to several Hollywood news outlets.
Detroit-born mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer is finalizing a three-year contract with Paramount Pictures, and the first project under the deal is expected to be Beverly Hills Cop 4, reports Deadline Hollywood.
"Eddie Murphy closed his deal to reprise his role as Detroit cop Axel Foley — this time Foley will be returning to his Detroit roots. It will be the fourth installment of the lucrative franchise," Deadline.com reported. "Brett Ratner, who is currently finishing up Hercules for MGM, is attached to direct the film as soon as his duties on the Dwayne Johnson-starrer finishes up. The picture bows in July. The Beverly Hills Cop script is still being worked on."
Murphy in the original Beverly Hills Cop movie played a rambunctious Detroit police officer who travels to California to investigate the killing of a friend in a plot full of action and hijinks.
Efforts to turn the series into a TV show fell apart last year.
Follow MLive Detroit reporter Khalil AlHajal on Twitter @DetroitKhalil or on Facebook at Detroit Khalil. He can be reached at kalhajal@mlive.com or 313-643-0527.