The long-awaited Beverly Hills Cop 4 is finally set to be released this summer, meaning that Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley will once again be on the scene. And the star won’t be alone, of course., as he’ll be joined by a mix of franchise newcomers and OGs, with one of the former being Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The actor has referred to his time working with Murphy as a treat and, based on the explosive Axel F trailer, their two characters will have an interesting relationship. Gordon-Levitt got close enough to the comedy icon off camera that he got to see a somewhat nerdier side of him while filming the sequel, and I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall.
Many would likely relish the former 3rd Rock from the Sun star’s position, given he’s part of the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F cast. The highly anticipated flick will see Joseph Gordon-Levitt play straight-laced BH detective Bobby Abbott opposite Eddie Murphy’s vivacious Foley. Gordon-Levitt recently opened up to Empire about what it was like working with the Oscar nominee on the action movie. Amid the chat, he also revealed a topic of discussion that allowed him and his co-star to bond:
The first time we really started improvising together was in a car. And shooting car scenes, you can’t get out for big chunks of time. On that first day, waiting for the rig to reposition, we started talking about the song ‘Let The Good Times Roll’. The original version, the Harry Nilsson cover, and then other songs with that phrase in, by Sam Cooke and Jimi Hendrix… Eddie’s kind of a nerd about those things, as am I.
It’s nice to know that Eddie Murphy is an audiophile like so many people. Music is definitely an element that connects folks, and it’s cool that the two co-stars were able to bond over it. I would’ve loved to have heard their conversations about those soul and rock classics. I specifically want to know what stuck out to them in each song. What did they think of the instrumentals? Did they dive deeper into each artist’s discography? Hopefully, the two A-listers will discuss their music conversations when they start promoting the movie.
While the actors themselves seem to have a few things in common, that doesn’t sound as true for their characters. The Looper star delved into Abbott and Foley’s differing personalities, teasing what their dynamic will be like. He explained:
This character is a bit strait-laced – I am an actual Beverly Hills cop, whereas Axel Foley is a cop from Detroit who finds himself in Beverly Hills – but he’s not a simple straight man. I also get my licks in. I wouldn’t be living up to this crazy opportunity if I wasn’t going to have a few myself. We got to do some really fun stuff.
By all accounts, they’re going to be a true odd couple, and the fact that Bobby is the ex-boyfriend of Axel’s daughter should add another interesting wrinkle in their relationship. Abbott is just one of the law enforcement vets who’s teaming up with Axel this time around, as Judge Reinhold and John Ashton are reprising their roles as Billy Rosewood and John Taggart, respectively. Those reunions will be fun to see, but I’m also eager to see Eddie Murphy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s on-screen chemistry. Here’s hoping it’s as delightful as their music conversations apparently were.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will premiere for Netflix subscribers on July 3, and that membership currently gets you access to the first movie in the franchise. You can also stream that 1984 flick alongside its first two sequels using a Paramount+ subscription.