Beverly Hills Cop 4 Being Made By Netflix

Eddie Murphy's latest movie, the Rudy Ray Moore biopic Dolemite is my Name, has given the comedy icon some of his best reviews for decades. The film was made for Netflix, and it looks like Murphy's relationship with the streaming giant will continue, with the news that the long-in-development Beverly Hills Cop 4 is heading there.

As reported by Variety, Netflix has acquired the rights to the fourth movie in the hit action comedy series from Paramount. The deal was announced by Bob Bakish, CEO of Paramount's parent company Viacom. This follows the announcement this week of a major deal between Netflix and Nickelodeon, another Viacom company.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 has been in the works for several years. In June 2016, Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were hired to direct, with production expected to begin in 2017. This didn't happen, but last month, Murphy stated that he would begin work on the film once production on the upcoming Coming to America 2 was finished. In the meantime, El Arbi and Fallah have directed Bad Boys For Life, which hits theaters in January.

While we don't know what the plot of Beverly Hills Cop 4 will be, it was previously rumored that the movie will center upon the relationship between Murphy's Axel Foley, who is now a veteran LA cop, and a tough, younger officer from Detroit.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 was originally announced in the mid-'90s, and then again a decade later, with Rush Hour's Brett Ratner initially lined up to direct. The most recent attempt to revitalise the action comedy franchise was for television. A pilot focusing on Murphy's character's son was produced for CBS in 2013, but the network chose not to pick up the show.

The original Beverly Hills Cop was released in 1984, and it was the most successful movie of that year. It was followed by two sequels in 1987 and 1994.