Sorry, Fans: Eddie Murphy Says Beverly Hills Cop 5 Is a Long Way Off

Look, if you’re one of those people who’ve been (not so) patiently waiting for Eddie Murphy to make more Beverly Hills Cop movies, I’ve got some bad news. After three decades, he finally dusted off Axel Foley’s leather jacket for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix—and, yes, the movie did ridiculously well in the streaming numbers department. But as for Beverly Hills Cop 5? Well, don’t hold your breath.

The Big Netflix Comeback... and a Familiar Crew

Axel F hit Netflix in 2024 and racked up some seriously impressive viewership for a franchise that’s been parked for thirty years. The movie brought Murphy’s wisecracking Detroit detective back to sunny Beverly Hills after his daughter’s life got put in danger—classic Axel, classic chaos.

The filmmakers actually rounded up a bunch of the old gang for this one, including Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood, and even John Ashton—his final performance, as Taggart. Bronson Pinchot showed up to do his Serge thing, naturally.

They mixed in some new blood too:

• Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders (Axel’s daughter)
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbot
• Kevin Bacon as the extremely-not-trustworthy Captain Cade Grant

The plot? Axel gets yanked back to Beverly Hills (surprise!) and chaos follows—involving a corrupt cop, family drama, a lot of action, and a city that’s aged about as well as Eddie Murphy himself. By the end: Axel saves his daughter, reconciles with her, and heads back to Detroit, while the bad guy (that’d be Kevin Bacon’s Captain Grant) bites the dust. Classic, full-circle crime-caper ending. And with Taggart’s actor John Ashton having passed away at 75 not long after wrapping the film, it closes a chapter for the OG cast.

Murphy Speaks: More Axel Foley? Not Any Time Soon

So, what about an Axel Foley encore? Here’s what Murphy had to say at the AFI Life Achievement ceremony, when Extra TV asked whether we’ll get a fifth Beverly Hills Cop:

'No. No. No... not in the immediate future.'

There you go. Doesn’t get clearer than that.

What Is Coming: Shrek 5 and That Donkey Spin-Off

Before you toss up your hands and curse the Netflix autoplay gods, a silver lining: Murphy’s got more nostalgia-bait in the pipeline, just not with Axel Foley. He was actually pretty stoked to talk about Shrek 5, which is officially coming June 30, 2027 (so, mark your calendar, or let your kids remind you). And for fans of Murphy’s signature fast-talking sidekicks, yes—he’s working on a solo Donkey movie. No release date for that one yet, but it’ll put Donkey in the main spotlight at last.

So, Eddie Murphy isn’t retiring anytime soon. His to-do list is just heavy on ogres and talking donkeys…and light on Beverly Hills cops. With Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F wrapping things up (for now) and old favorites like John Ashton gone, the future of Axel Foley looks fuzzy. If you’re itching for another ride-along, the wait continues—but at least Murphy’s keeping busy.