![The first few minutes of 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'](https://cdn.statically.io/img/dnm.nflximg.net/api/v6/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8/AAAAQeIRXSWUp7aHXp1hp7ejdLE7i0ErYtAIyUlbdxQM8VRZMYqFE_JUkl-XjHrIiaNE_hhC_WiFe2k1QF1IZVnDvOQFxTQP-via6HQL9IFNpFNEB-uTjnxNQa7jmnyVdTYvOAgwjpqpdFqkl1_4-v9Sg3wX.jpg?r=baa)
![The first few minutes of 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'](https://cdn.statically.io/img/dnm.nflximg.net/api/v6/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8/AAAAQeIRXSWUp7aHXp1hp7ejdLE7i0ErYtAIyUlbdxQM8VRZMYqFE_JUkl-XjHrIiaNE_hhC_WiFe2k1QF1IZVnDvOQFxTQP-via6HQL9IFNpFNEB-uTjnxNQa7jmnyVdTYvOAgwjpqpdFqkl1_4-v9Sg3wX.jpg?r=baa)
The heat is on — and Axel Foley is back. In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Eddie Murphy slips right back into his iconic role like he’s putting on an old Detroit Lions jacket. The film hits Netflix on July 3, but you can catch a sneak peek at the fast-talking police officer’s latest case right now.
Like the previous Beverly Hills Cop films, Axel F begins on the streets of Detroit, Axel’s hometown. This time, the once-spry detective is a little stiffer. “Even though it’s a sequel, I’m not that 22-year-old anymore,” Murphy told Netflix. “I’ve had this whole other life and so I can act that. Axel at 22 and Axel at 63? He’s a whole different person.”
But he’s not that different. In the first few minutes alone, we get a glimpse at the same old Axel — shouting out to people on the streets of Detroit, teasing fellow police officer Mike Woody (Kyle More), and, of course, causing a little bit of mayhem on the job.
“You’re kind of the reason I got into police work in the first place,” Axel’s colleague tells him at the end of the clip. He’s thrilled to be watching a hockey game with him — but a little surprised when he realizes Axel is actually here to investigate a potential robbery. Just like us, he’s been sucked into another Beverly Hills Cop adventure.
Murphy’s fellow performers can relate. As fans of the original films, getting the opportunity to share the screen with Murphy is a dream come true. “Watching how he would get a page and make shifts and improvise, it’s a very singular skill,” said Taylour Paige, who plays Axel’s daughter Jane. “In the process, you’re thinking, ‘What I read was funny,’ but he made it better.”
For Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Axel’s new BHPD liaison Bobby Abbott, the opportunity came with its own theme song. “When this offer came to me, the biggest smile came across my face, and the first thing I did was start singing ‘Axel F,’ ” said Gordon-Levitt. “I remember my brother teaching me how to play it on piano. Now I’m showing my son how to play it.”
Murphy understands. “It’s like having your own James Bond theme,” he said of the original film’s classic electronic instrumental track. “As soon as people hear it, they know what it’s from. They’ll play that shit at my funeral one day.”
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F hits Netflix on July 3.