There are bad ideas and then there are bad ideas. And the plan to resurrect the Beverly Hills Cop franchise with a fourth installment still featuring Eddie Murphy, but this time directed by doughy himbo fauxter Brett Ratner really takes the cheesecake.
Apparently based on the success of Indiana Jones 4, Paramount rushed to revive a once lucrative franchise as Murphy is scheduled to reprise his role as Detroit cop Axel Foley. Ratner is negotiating to direct. The studio is hoping for a 2009 production start, a summer 2010 release and either way if Ratner is onboard or not, this one seems like an unfortunate reality.
Apparently it was Murphy himself who approached the studio with the idea of bringing “Beverly Hills’ Cop” back to life.
Meanwhile, Ratner is developing the Hugh Hefner biopic “Playboy” for Universal, which is pretty perfect considering how much time he’s probably spent at the Playboy mansion trying to roofie air-headed blonds in the grotto. Hefner reportedly wanted “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr., to play the younger, more-virile version of his entrepreneurial self and Ratner says that RDJ is interested.
Or well, sort of.
“Robert Downey Jr. agreed to do it based on the script,” the director told EW. The problem? Well, the script’s not quite complete and Downey Jr. hasn’t actually read it. So he’s agreed to do it if the script is actually good and worthwhile? Is that what Ratner is trying to say?
“We’re gonna hand him the script very shortly. He loves the character and the role and we’ve been meeting with him on it. So, if he wants to do it, we’re excited to have him.” Ratner said adding that he and his producers were on the crest of the zeitgeist, “We wanted him before ‘Iron Man’ so we were ahead of the curve.” RDJ’s reps declined to comment on the matter.