Beverly Hills Cop (1984) is one of the most iconic franchises not just of the ’80s, but of all time. Initially slated to star Sylvester Stallone in a much more serious action film, swapping the lead out for Eddie Murphy made a superstar of the young comedian, and basically invented a genre: the buddy-cop-comedy (looking at you, Bad Boys franchise). Unfortunately, much like many classics of that genre and era, the sequels it spawned were not nearly as lauded, despite being helmed by directorial greats like Tony Scott and John Landis, respectively.
So, who in their right mind thought that 30 years after the third installment, Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), modern audiences would suddenly crave yet another sequel into a seemingly obsolete franchise? After all, haven’t we grown sick of reboots and sequels?
Surprisingly, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (which releases July 3, on Netflix) was exactly what we needed right now. While paying homage to the original, it put a spin on a classic recipe, somehow achieving the impossible: catering to both new and old audiences and, most important of all, it was very funny.
The two supporting leads, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, reprise their roles as Rosewood and Taggart, the fun loving and cantankerous sidekicks to Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley. So, what do they have to say about returning to the 90210 four decades after the first film?
Judge Reinhold: It’s crazy, but when we were making these movies in the ’80s, we didn’t know we were going to be apart of something iconic. We also didn’t know we were in “the ’80s”, we were just working. It’s only now that we realised we were part of an iconic era. We had no idea that it would be this celebrated decade of comedies that people now call classics. At the time, we were just trying to make good movies.
Esquire: What is it like revisiting two iconic roles not just as actors, but as human beings? Are these characters now apart of your DNA, or did you have to resurrect something from the past?
John Ashton: Back in the ’80s, after the first film came out, people would constantly yell at me on the street “Hey, Taggart!” and since I come from a theatre background, at first, I’d get annoyed that I was known for this one character. But now, as the years have gone by, I realise what a privilege it is to be known for such a role, and to be apart of such a franchise.
Judge Reinhold: As John said, my whole life I’ve been called Rosewood, so when I got the call that we were making another film, it was easy. Rosewood has always been apart of me. And what’s exciting about this film being on Netflix is that new audiences will hopefully discover the Beverly Hills Cop franchise who have never seen it before.
Esquire: What goes through your head when you hear the Axel F theme song? Is it like a Pavlov’s dogs moment, or have you regularly heard it over the years?
Judge Reinhold: (laughs) When I hear it, I’m immediately transported back to standing in the back of Mann’s Chinese Theatre with Marty Brest (director of Beverly Hills Cop) with a packed audience, and just having the crowd explode with laughter, and seeing them enjoy the movie so much. It takes me back to the excitement of having that movie first open for the first time 40 years ago.
John Ashton: Yeah, you never know what’ll happen at a premiere. There’s always a lot of industry people there, wardrobe people caring about the clothes, different agents, producers, so a premiere never fully reveals just how the film is going to do. So you’ll walk out of a premiere, even if the response was positive, wondering ‘gee, I don’t know what to make of that’. So, after the initial premiere in 1984, a few nights later, Judge and I went to a regular screening and sat in the balcony, and the audience was laughing and screaming, and we looked at each other and said “we better get the hell out of here,” so we left early.
Judge Reinhold: And you know, we’re so lucky, because most young actors aren’t going to be getting that experience. To be able to go to a theatre and watch people enjoy a movie that you worked on is such a mountain top experience, it’s unbelievable.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which also stars Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is available to stream on Netflix July 3, 2024.
