It’s been over 20 years since we last caught up with Eddie Murphy‘s Axel Foley but all of that will change once Beverly Hills Cop 4 starts filming later this year in Detroit. In a small, but interesting, piece of news that slipped by us a few days ago, it turns out that the state of Michigan has approved $13.5 million in film incentives for the shoot (it seems as though the producers are looking to spend an estimated $56.6 million in the state). What’s interesting here is that, for me, the lead in this story (in the form of a slightly expanded synopsis) was somewhat buried. We knew before that the film would see Axel Foley return to his old stomping grounds. But the Michigan Film office states that Foley “leaves his position in Beverly Hills “during the coldest winter on record to navigate the new rules and old enemies in one of America’s most tenacious cities.â€
“Coldest winter on record.†Weird detail to include. What does that mean for this Brett Ratner (Tower Heist) directed installment?
I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t read the script by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Neme (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), and I’m not entirely clear on where this brutal winter occurs. It doesn’t make much sense to depict such a thing happening in Beverly Hills (unless there’s some super weird global warming statement at play), so I’m going with Detroit (which is actually known to have winters).
I guess the reason I even find this slightly intriguing is that I’m hoping it signals a shift in tone away from the disappointment that was Beverly Hills Cop 3. Maybe there’s something gritty going on in the vein of the first installment? Again, Brett Ratner is directing so I wouldn’t count on it. But one can hope. Check out more on this at Rolling Stone.
