'Beverly Hills Cop IV' is still happening, say directors

Plans for the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie are very much still in the pipeline, according to Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the directing duo signed up to make it.

Arbi and Fallah were behind Bad Boys For Life, unleashed in January this year, the long-in-gestation actioner reuniting Will Smith and Martin Lawrence for the action comedy.

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Prior to that movie's release, the pair were confirmed to be helming the also long-in-gestation comeback for Eddie Murphy's wise cracking cop Axel Foley from the 1984-94 franchise.

Netflix confirmed that it would be producing the movie too, but like so many projects now suspended in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it's current status has now been updated by the Belgian filmmakers.

El Arbi told Digital Spy: “We're still involved in that project, and there's a screenwriter now on it that's going to try to write a first draft, or a first treatment at least with the story.

“So we're going to see what the first version will be, but we're very excited and hope that we can work with another icon like Eddie Murphy. That'd be great.

“When I was a kid, it was one of my favourite movies. It was the quintessential Jerry Bruckheimer movie – a buddy-cop, humour action movie. Bad Boys is a Beverly Hills Cop kind of movie. And of course, Eddie Murphy is an idol.”

Murphy took his bow as the reckless Detroit cop in 1984, causing a stir in upscale California society when he arrives to investigate the murder of a childhood friend.

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Originally set to star Sylvester Stallone as Foley, it cemented Murphy's status in Hollywood, after star turns in 48 Hrs. and Trading Places.

Produced by the legendary Simpson and Bruckheimer, it earned $300 million and spawned two sequels; Beverly Hills Cop II, directed by Tony Scott in 1987, and John Landis's Beverly Hills Cop III in 1994, though the latter, with a spiralling budget, struggled to make any money at all.

Filming of the fourth instalment was set to begin once Murphy had finished making the sequel Coming 2 America, which is set for release in December.