What was I saying yesterday about Brett Ratner being a studio favourite director for franchise movies?
He’s done it again, that damn son of a gun.
Variety say Ratner is in talks with Paramount Pictures to direct the returning Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop 4. The movie is thought to have a mid-2009 start date, for a tentpole release in 2010.
Jerry Bruckheimer who produced the original trilogy will not be back this time, instead it’s going to be Paramount’s number 1 action producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
This fourth movie came about when Murphy approached Paramount during working on NowhereLand for the studio. After talks with several directors, Ratner was chosen and it’s the second deal that has brought the actor/director combo together after news of The Incredible Shrinking Man being made into a film.
It’s been 14 years since the last movie in the $700 million series opened but Murphy is not an old guy of course, instead it’s his attitude and his career choices that have turned us off him… Murphy is not the same actor he use to be.
Then there’s “The Rat” factor. We have seen what he can do with buddy comedies in the Rush Hour movies and quite frankly we don’t like it.
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Forget Ratner, Lorenzo Boneventura’s involvement will make this pure sh*t.
OK, let’s do it right this time, shall we, unlike that abortion that was BHC3?
1. Axel Foley is a foul-mouthed, against the rules kind of guy. The scene where he printed “kiss my ass” on the counterfeit money was pretty much the only joke in the BHC3 movie. The humour needs to be crude, rude and irreverent.
2. The thing that made the original movie work was the chemistry between Murphy, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold and Ronny Cox. Get that cast back! (although, Ashton looks a little strange nowadays…). Bonus point for a decent villain – Burkoff was great in the original. Maybe a decent girl too – Lisa Eilbacher seemed perfect for the character she played in the original, yet it wasn’t a typical romantic role.
3) “Serge” isn’t an important characters, so don’t use him. Axel Foley was a rebel in Beverly Hills, that’s it. For God’s sake, don’t play up the comedy too much, especially if it’s going to be forced to be family friendly. Axel should curse out any person he meets, break every rule, while staying within the idea of what’s right. The comedy should come from the way that Axel manipulates people, not from “characters”.
That’s what will get me to watch BHC4, though my faith in both Ratner and Murphy are at an all-time low right now.