Eddie Murphy Improvised the 'Funniest Moments' in New “Beverly Hills Cop”, Says Director
“When you have someone like Eddie Murphy, you want to let him be free,” director Mike Molloy said
Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix John Ashton, Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold in 2024’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F director is celebrating the star’s comedic chops.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mark Molloy said that he embraced allowing Murphy, 63, and his costars John Ashton and Judge Reinhold to improvise on the new movie’s set.
“Eddie, John and Judge sat in the car and they would just talk s—,” Molloy told the outlet. “And they told me that a lot of the first film is some of those moments when they were just allowed to sit there and talk to each other.”
Murphy stars as detective Axel Foley in the Beverly Hills Cop movies. For Molloy, it seemed natural to step aside and allow the comedy legend to shine without interruption.
“You’ve got one of the greatest comedians, if not in my eyes, the greatest comedian in the world,” he said. “A huge part of my job is to create a space for improvisation to thrive. I always want to get what’s on the page, but when you have someone like Eddie Murphy, you want to let him be free.”
Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix Eddie Murphy and Taylour Paige in 2024’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
“And as I look back on the film, some of the funniest moments in the film is when Eddie is improvising and the audience loves it,” he added.
Murphy originated his role as Axel Foley in 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, in which his character starts out as a Detroit detective who travels to California to solve his best friend’s murder. The movie spawned two sequels released in 1987 and 1994, respectively.
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Thirty years after the series’ last entry, Murphy, Ashton, 76, and Reinhold, 66, are reuniting for Axel F, which adds Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the movie’s cast.
A synopsis teases that Axel teams up with a new partner, portrayed by Gordon-Levitt, as well as Billy Rosewood (Reinhold) and John Taggart (Ashton) “to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy” after Axel’s daughter is threatened.
Courtesy of Netflix Kevin Bacon and Eddie Murphy in 2024’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Netflix first released a teaser trailer for the movie in December. Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot and Kevin Bacon also star. Molloy recently told EW that the new installment has fresh surprises in store for audiences as well as plenty of classic humor that made Murphy’s original movie a hit.
“There was a different side to Axel Foley that I’ve never seen before,” he said. “And I’m really excited for the audiences to see that too.”
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is on Netflix July 3.
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