The Beverly Hills Cop property has certainly seen its ups and downs in the last few years. From dead in the water, to an aborted TV series adaptation that would’ve starred Brandon T. Jackson as Axel Foley’s son with Eddie Murphy set to make sporadic appearances, to Beverly Hills Cop 4 being announced with Brett Ratner at the helm, there’s certainly been a lot of stop-and-go. 

Well, time to add another stop.

According to The Wrap, Beverly Hills Cop 4 has dropped off of Paramount’s slate. Originally scheduled to come out on the same weekend as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the film is now in limbo with no new release date announced. The film, which will find Murphy back in the starring role as opposed to the “passing the torch” mentor part he was going to have in the TV series, is still in-development and will likely see the light of day at some point. Just not yet.

Interestingly, despite the failed TV series attempt, the pilot that was shot actually tested well enough to reignite interest in a cinematic sequel. As such, Jerry Bruckheimer signed on to produce it, and most thought it was going to be smooth sailing from that point on. You had Bruckheimer, Ratner (with a proven box office track record for films like these with his Rush Hour flicks), and Murphy.

There’s no official word on the cause of the delay, but we do know that Murphy stated a few months ago that he was still waiting for a dynamite script. Here’s what he told Rolling Stone:

“Nah, they still trying to get that script right. I’m not doing a Beverly Hills Cop unless they have a really incredible script. I’ve read a couple things that look like they can make some paper. But I’m not doing a shitty movie just to make some paper. The shit got to be right.”

That’s a stance that fans of the series likely appreciate, even it’s coming from an actor who has become rather notorious for making mediocre movies “just to make some paper” in the last 20 years.

We shall see how this all shakes out. Can Axel bounce back from this latest setback? Or should he just join Riggs and Murtaugh in the Too Old For This Shit Retirement Home?

Hmm…now that’s a movie I’d like to see.

SOURCE: The Wrap