'Beverly Hills Cop 4' Cast & Character Guide - Who Is Joining Eddie Murphy? (2024)

After three decades, Eddie Murphy is finally back as Axel Foley in the long-awaited action-comedy sequel Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. The new film is notably forgoing a theatrical release and instead is heading directly to Netflix, thanks to a deal struck between the streamer and Paramount Pictures back in November 2019.

The new movie finds the charismatic Detroit cop traveling back to Beverly Hills after receiving a call from an old friend that his estranged daughter is being threatened by a mysterious group of criminals. Murphy isn't the only person returning for the sequel, as you'll see in this guide, as many of the supporting cast members from the first three movies will also be returning, alongside some exciting new faces. Here's our look at the cast of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

Eddie Murphy

Axel Foley

Detroit's finest, Axel Foley, hasn't changed much since we last saw him in Beverly Hills Cop III. While many of his colleagues are younger than he is, Foley's youthful energy still prevails. While some of his colleagues believe that he needs to retire before getting himself killed, Foley isn't interested. The sequel also reveals that Foley is now divorced and has become estranged from his daughter Jane. When Jane's life is put on the line, Foley must once again travel to the SoCal neighborhood to protect her.

Eddie Murphy is a name that needs no introduction. Murphy rose to fame with his stand-up career but quickly became an A-lister from his memorable stint on Saturday Night Live. His stand-up specials Delirious and Eddie Murphy Raw are still hailed as some of the greatest comedy specials ever made, with many stand-up comedians and filmmakers citing him as a major influence on their careers. Murphy ventured into the world of movies in the 80s with 48 Hrs, Trading Places, Coming to America, and the first two Beverly Hills Cop movies. In 1989, Murphy made his directorial debut with the gangster film Harlem Nights. Throughout the 90s and the 2000s, Murphy went on to star in a number of other popular movies, such as The Nutty Professor, Dr. Dolittle, and Bowfinger. Murphy is also known for his voice work, in particular voicing Donkey in the Shrek movies and Mushu in Mulan. In 2007, Murphy received his first Academy Award nomination for Dreamgirls, where he played James "Thunder" Early.

After a string of box office and critical duds in the early 2010s, Murphy took a step back before starring in the indie movie Mr. Church in 2016, but the drama failed to make an impact. However, he returned more triumphantly in 2019 when he played Rudy Ray Moore in the critically acclaimed biopic Dolemite Is My Name, which garnered him some of the strongest reviews of his career. Since then, Murphy has starred in Coming 2 America, You People, and Candy Cane Lane.

His upcoming projects include the heist comedy The Pickup where he stars opposite Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer, a live-action/CGI reboot of The Pink Panther, and most notably, Shrek 5 and a Donkey spin-off movie.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Detective Bobby Abbott

Bobby Abbott is a detective for the Beverly Hills police department as well as the ex-boyfriend of Foley's daughter Jane. Bobby is a far different cop than Foley is and plays things more by-the-book, that is until he is pushed too far. As an ex-helicopter cop for the LAPD, Bobby is looking for calmer waters in his career, that is until Foley comes into the picture.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt got his start as a child actor, starring in movies such as Angels in the Outfield, Holy Matrimony, and A River Runs Through It. Gordon-Levitt's star grew even larger when he played Tommy Solomon, an elderly alien trapped in the body of a teenage boy, in the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. Through the years, Gordon-Levitt has starred in many high-profile movies, including Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, (500) Days of Summer, Brick, Looper, 50/50, Lincoln, The Night Before, The Walk, Premium Rush, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Snowden, and Flora and Son. In 2013, he made his directorial debut with the raunchy rom-com Don Jon, where he also starred opposite Scarlett Johansson. Next up for Gordon-Levitt is the crime-drama Killer Heat and the dark comedy Greedy People.

Taylour Paige

Jane Saunders

Jane is Foley's estranged daughter who he shipped off to Beverly Hills after she and her mother were being threatened by a Detroit gang. Much to Foley's dismay, Jane has legally changed her last name to Saunders, wanting nothing to do with her father. She now works as a criminal defense attorney and, at the start of the film, is working with a young man who has been falsely accused of killing a cop. However, when her life is threatened, she reluctantly works with her father and her ex-boyfriend, Bobby Abbott.

Taylour Paige is much newer to the screen than Murphy and Gordon-Levitt but has already built up an impressive resume. After having a supporting role in the true-crime thriller White Boy Rick, Paige landed her breakout role playing the title character in Janicza Bravo's dark comedy Zola. Since then, Paige has starred in movies such as Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Sharp Stick, , and Boogie. Next up for Paige is Macon Blair's reboot of The Toxic Avenger, the action-comedy Brothers, and the IT prequel series Welcome to Derry.

Judge Reinhold

Billy Rosewood

Billy Rosewood is an old friend of Axel Foley and a former Lieutenant officer for the Beverly Hills police department. Rosewood has already left the precinct by the start of the movie, having uncovered a shocking conspiracy that could incriminate the department. Rosewood also has a close relationship with Jane and serves as a mentor to her, having brought her current case to her attention.

Outside of Murphy, Judge Reinhold is the only actor to have appeared in all four Beverly Hills Cop movies. Reinhold first rose to fame with his roles in the 80s comedies Stripes, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Gremlins. His other credits include The Santa Clause movies, Vice Versa, Ruthless People, Off Beat, and Head Office. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F marks Reinhold's first acting role since 2017.

John Ashton

Captain John Taggart

John Taggart is Billy Rosewood's old police partner as well as another one of Foley's old friends from the 80s. After retiring from the force in the 90s, Taggart has since rejoined the department as the Captain to support his family. Taggart is much more hot-headed and jaded than Foley and Rosewood but still has a good heart.

John Ashton returns to the franchise after sitting out on Beverly Hills Cop III. Ashton first rose to prominence with his small role in the Peter Yates-directed drama Breaking Away, with his other notable credits being Midnight Run, She's Having a Baby, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Gone Baby Gone.

Paul Reiser

Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman

Jeffrey Friedman is Foley's old partner from the Detroit police department, who often serves as his anchor back home during his shenanigans in Beverly Hills. In Axel F, Friedman has recently signed his retirement papers, urging Foley to do the same. He has also become a grandfather, although he describes one of his grandsons as a "sociopath."

Much like Ashton, Paul Reiser starred in the first two movies in the franchise but was absent for the third movie. Reiser's acting career has been consistent since the early 80s, getting his start in the popular sitcoms My Two Dads and Mad About You, the latter of which received a one-season revival in 2019. Reiser has been nominated for 11 Primetime Emmys, 10 of which were for Mad About You, while his eleventh was for the third and final season of The Kominsky Method. Reiser's other television credits include playing Dr. Sam Owens in Seasons 2 and 4 of Stranger Things, the short-lived Hulu sitcom Reboot, and playing The Legend in Season 3 of The Boys, a role he'll reprise for the fifth and final season. On the film side, Resier has starred in movies such as Aliens, Whiplash, and Concussion.

Bronson Pinchot

Serge

Serge is another old friend of Foley's and is a former art gallery salesman turned weapons dealer. Foley reconnects with Serge in Axel F to help with gaining access to a mansion that he believes is being used for illegal activities. Serge also hasn't changed since the 80s and is still as fun-loving and flamboyant as ever.

Bronson Pinchot returns to the franchise after appearing in the first and third films. Pinchot is perhaps best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Balki Bartokomous on the sitcom Perfect Strangers. He has also built up a fantastic filmography, having starred in movies such as Risky Business, The Flamingo Kid, The First Wives Club, and True Romance. He is next set to star in the Netflix miniseries The Residence alongside Uzo Aduba and Giancarlo Esposito.

Kevin Bacon

Cade Grant

Cade Grant is another new face at the Beverly Hills police department and the head of a special task force focusing on narcotics. Grant is immediately weary of Foley, having no time for his antics, which causes Jane to become suspicious of him. Despite Captain Taggart's high remarks, Foley also isn't a big fan of Grant.

Another icon of the 80s, Kevin Bacon, made his feature film debut in the classic comedy flick National Lampoon's Animal House. However, it was his role as teen rebel Ren McCormack in Footloose that made him a household name. Bacon has gathered over 100 acting credits to his name, including She's Having a Baby, The Big Picture, Tremors, Flatliners, JFK, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Sleepers, Wild Things, Hollow Man, Mystic River, Frost/Nixon, X-Men: First Class, Crazy Stupid Love, Super, Black Mass, Patriots Day, The Following, City on a Hill, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and Leave the World Behind.

Bacon's upcoming projects include The Toxic Avenger reboot (which also features his Axel F co-star Taylour Paige), the Prime Video supernatural horror series The Bondsman, and the Netflix limited series Sirens. Axel F also isn't Bacon's only movie opening on Independence Day weekend, as he also has a memorable role as PI John Labat in Ti West's MaXXXine.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

R

Action

Comedy

Crime

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley is the fourth film in the popular comedy franchise starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy returns as Axel Foley in the Netflix film alongside returning cast members Judge Reinhold and John Ashton and Bronson Pinchot as Serge. Kevin Bacon andJoseph Gordon-Levitt also star in the sequel as new characters.

Release Date

July 3, 2024

Director

Mark Molloy

Cast

Eddie Murphy , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Kevin Bacon , Judge Reinhold

Main Genre

Action

Writers

Will Beall , Daniel Petrie Jr. , Tom Gormican , Kevin Etten

Studio

Paramount Pictures

Watch on Netflix