Following the release of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F‘s first trailer in December 2023, Netflix has released a full trailer for one of its most anticipated new Netflix movies of the year – and it looks surprisingly fresh for a franchise that’s nearly 40 years old.
For anyone who’s still unaware of the franchise’s existence or its latest installment: Eddie Murphy is back as Axel Foley, a wisecracking and rule breaking cop, and the trailer delivers some impressive action scenes (and a lot of property damage) as well as some genuine belly laughs.
The Netflix movie’s story revolves around Foley’s daughter (Taylour Paige), whose life is threatened, which leads Foley to team up with his offspring and a new partner – played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt – as well as some familiar faces. Judging by the trailer, though, Foley’s daughter is not overly enthusiastic about her dad’s attempts to help.
Why we’re excited about Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Whenever a much-loved franchise with a big star is revived after years – or, in this case, decades – there’s always a worry that it’s going to be a lazy cash-in based on brand recognition and little more. Going by Axel F‘s main trailer, however, it feels very much in the spirit of the original movie.
The omens are definitely good for its debut on the world’s best streaming service. The director here is Mark Molloy, an award-winning director of commercials (Apple‘s Underdogs won him an entire shelf of Cannes Lions) making his move into full-length movies, while the screenplay is by former LAPD detective Will Beall (Aquaman, Bad Boys: Ride or Die) and the duo of Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, who wrote The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The producer is Jerry Bruckheimer, whose extensive resume includes Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, Top Gun, and The Rock.
One of the things that made the first film so good was the dialog, which was packed with zingers and often improvised on set by Murphy. Foley is arguably his best and funniest film role, and it’ll be good to see him back doing what he does best: causing absolute chaos. Consider me quietly optimistic over its chances about finding a spot on our best Netflix movies list.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will be released exclusively on Netflix on Friday, July 3.
