Back in the ’80s, few action stars were dominating the silver screen quite like Sylvester Stallone, who, after starring in the groundbreaking sports franchise Rocky and as John Rambo in First Blood, was looking for his next big hit. Similarly, Saturday Night Live breakout performer Eddie Murphy was riding high on the success of his work on the sketch comedy series and was establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s most charismatic comedians, having appeared in the popular flicks 48 Hrs. and Trading Places. When the screenplay for Beverly Hills Cop began to make its way around Tinseltown, Stallone was immediately considered for the lead role and was sent a look at the script.
The Beverly Hills Cop fans know and love looked quite different from the version Stallone would have headlined, as the actor completely altered the original screenplay written by Daniel Petrie Jr. (The Big Easy, Turner & Hooch) to cater to his own distinct style and genre preference. Stallone removed all the script’s humor and light-hearted moments and transformed it into a straightforward action movie he would become synonymous with in the ensuing years. Imagining Axel Foley as a majorly muscular, brawl-loving protagonist isn’t easy to do, yet Stallone wanted the project to be an explosive, shoot ’em up extravaganza akin to his previous big-screen endeavors.
As fans eagerly await the latest installment in the sensational franchise, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, to make its highly buzzed-about debut on Netflix on July 3, 2024 (after a long 30-year wait), it’s interesting to think about just how different both the original 1984 blockbuster and subsequent franchise could have looked had Stallone remained with the project. Let’s examine how Sylvester Stallone inadvertently helped launch Eddie Murphy’s Hollywood reign.
Stallone’s Vision for Beverly Hills Cop Clashes With the Studio’s
In Stallone’s proposed version of Beverly Hills Cop, his character’s name would have been changed to Axel Cobretti, and Mikey Tandino (James Russo) would have been his brother, while Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher) would have been his leading lady and love interest. Stallone also wanted Judge Reinhold’s Detective Billy Rosewood to be killed off in a blaze of glory halfway through the flick, which would have prevented the fan-favorite character from returning for the subsequent sequels and completely changed the dynamic between the main performers. The Golden Globe-winning star would retrospectively reflect on his vision for Beverly Hills Cop in 2013, revealing that his script:
“looked like the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan on the beaches of Normandy. Believe it or not, the finale was me in a stolen Lamborghini playing chicken with an oncoming freight train being driven by the ultra-slimy bad guy. Needless to say, they dropkicked me and my script out of the office, and the rest is history.”
Stallone’s interpretation of the storyline and screenplay did not mesh well with that of Paramount’s and producer Don Simpson, who felt that the action star’s new version heavily focused on him “soaping down his muscles.” Writer Charles “Chip” Proser was ultimately asked to help return the Beverly Hills Cop script to its original structure and iteration in a very short amount of time (while also factoring in Stallone’s revisions), a task which Proser found downright preposterous: “They offered me the rewrite when it was nothing more than Sylvester Stallone and an exotic gun — which was pretty ridiculous.” Since Stallone wasn’t willing to compromise with what he wanted out of the picture and the studio didn’t agree with his vision, the actor dropped out two weeks before production was set to begin.
Producers Scramble to Find Their New Beverly Hills Cop Lead
Just two days later, Simpson and fellow producer Jerry Bruckheimer sought out rising star Murphy to lead the project, who agreed to tackle the role of Detective Axel Foley in a decision that would help pave the way for his enduring Hollywood career. The final draft of the screenplay, which heavily featured Murphy’s input and humor, was ultimately completed the day production began on Beverly Hills Cop. Director Martin Brest commented on what a whirlwind those few weeks were, telling Variety in 2023:
“So we wound up getting Eddie Murphy a few weeks before shooting. The nature of Eddie’s talent and the theme that I would like to bring up and the tone that I would love to make this movie about, it was perfect. And we restructured the whole story in a couple of weeks, and went into production with basically an outline, writing as we went.”
When Beverly Hills Cop made its spectacular debut in theaters in December 1984, it dominated the box office and remained in the top spot for 13 consecutive weeks, bowing out with a whopping $234 million total earnings or $730,714,743 when adjusted for inflation in 2024, which would therefore make it one of the highest-grossing R-rated films of all time. The comedy was both a critical and commercial knockout, garnering widespread praise for its humor, action, and stellar cast performances while also receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack Album.
Murphy Emerges as a Bona-Fide Leading Man
Portraying the wise-cracking, street-smart Axel Foley also established Murphy as a certified movie star. The role showcased the funnyman’s effortless on-screen charm and likability and earned him a Golden Globe nod for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. Due to its overwhelmingly positive reception, Beverly Hills Cop spawned two exhilarating sequels, with the fourth highly-anticipated installment, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, set to hit the streaming platform Netflix on July 3, 2024.
The latest entry in the fun and exciting franchise comes 30 years after Beverly Hills Cop III and will follow the beloved Detroit detective as he heads back to the sunny California city after his criminal defense attorney’s daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened. Foley teams up with Jane as well as his old pals Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to investigate the crime and must also begrudgingly work with his daughter Jane’s ex-boyfriend, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Fans of the beloved franchise are thrilled to see Murphy back in action, and on June 21, 2024, it was revealed that a fifth film was already in the works.
Eddie Murphy Dominates Hollywood
In the 40 years since the original Beverly Hills Cop premiered, Murphy became one of the entertainment industry’s most dazzling and vivacious stars, appearing in a slew of unforgettable box office hits like Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Mulan, and as the fast-talking, lovable sidekick Donkey in the blockbuster animated series Shrek. Murphy also received an Oscar nod and took home a Golden Globe Award for his exceptional performance as Jimmy “Thunder” Early in the musical drama Dreamgirls. The gifted actor’s other notable big screen contributions in recent years include the lauded biographical comedy Dolemite Is My Name, Coming 2 America, and Candy Cane Lane.
Though his version of Beverly Hills Cop never came to fruition, it’s safe to say that Sylvester Stallone’s career bounced back pretty quickly after walking away from the series, and he even salvaged many of his proposed ideas and used them as the basis for his 1986 action film Cobra. Stallone starred in both the Rambo and Rocky franchises as well as Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Get Carter, and the rip-roaring Expendables franchise, as well as a colorful array of other action-packed flicks. He currently stars as Mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi in the crime dramedy show Tulsa King.
Both Murphy and Stallone remain prominent performers in Hollywood, and Beverly Hills Cop allowed the former actor to showcase his phenomenal gifts as a comedian and leading man. While there is still a very good chance that Murphy would have found a different opportunity to shine on the big screen, starring in such a lucrative and universally celebrated film franchise helped fast-track his enduring and dynamic Hollywood reign and led to audiences all across the world to fall in love with the larger-than-life personality. As he heads into the next act of his enviable career, his devoted fanbase looks forward to his future projects and will always hold a special place in their hearts for his first trailblazing, solo starring film. Stream Beverly Hills Cop on Netflix