Beverly Hills Cop fans, meet Shaqxel Foley! If anyone has ever wondered what the iconic movie franchise would look like if NBA legend Shaquille O’Nealwon the role of Axel Foley instead of Eddie Murphy, their questions have been answered.
On Friday, Netflix released O’Neal’s lost audition tape for the role of Axel Foley, in which the 52-year-old former athlete proclaims himself Shaqxel Foley.
“This is perfect for Shaq, I love Beverly Hills Cop,” O’Neal says in the “lost” footage.
And while O’Neal gives us his best “Shaq-tion” poses, it’s clear that there’s only one Axel Foley, and it’s Murphy.
Watch O’Neal’s lost audition tape for the role of Axel Foley below.
Fans have eagerly awaited Eddie Murphy’s return to the role in the fourth Beverly Hills Cop film, and they’ll get it when the Netflix sequel — titled Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F — premieres nearly 30 years after the last installment in the franchise.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F reunites Murphy with franchise co-stars Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot. It also welcomes stars Kevin Bacon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylour Paige.
The film picks up with Murphy’s Axel Foley and his estranged daughter, Jane (Paige), a criminal defense attorney who pulls her Detroit-based dad into a California case. After his daughter’s life is threatened, Jane and Foley team up with his new partner, Det. Bobby Abbott (Gordon-Levitt), and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.
Kevin Bacon also stars as Capt. Grant, with Pinchot reprising his role as Serge and Reiser returning as Det. Jeffrey Friedman.
A previously trailer highlights Foley’s return to a “changed” Beverly Hills. But none of that stops the veteran cop from pulling off his classic moves, which include operating (and crashing) a stolen helicopter and using unorthodox practices while undercover.
“You’re pissing off a lot of people,” one detective tells Foley, to which he responds, “That means we’re getting close.”
Mark Molloy directs the sequel with a script written by Will Beall. Murphy also produces, along with super producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Charisse Hewitt-Webster and Ray Angelic will executive produce the new movie, while Melissa Reid of Jerry Bruckheimer Films will co-produce. The project moved from Paramount, which had been developing the film for years, to Netflix in 2019.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F premieres July 3 on Netflix.
