Axel Foley will be back on the big screen in 2016, but his upcoming adventure takes him back home to Detroit.
Production of another Beverly Hills Cop sequel was confirmed back in late 2013, with Brett Ratner attached to direct the film and Eddie Murphy returning to the character that helped launch his career. Details were scarce at the time, but now the Michigan Film Office has confirmed that the project will film in and around Detroit.
“We are excited to welcome Axel Foley and the Beverly Hills Cop franchise back to Michigan,” said Margaret O’Riley, director of the Michigan Film Office, in a statement announcing that the project has been approved for the state’s film incentive program. “This project will highlight locations throughout metro Detroit that speak to the city’s heritage while making significant investments in the community by hiring Michigan workers and local businesses.”
According to the announcement, Beverly Hills Cop will receive an estimated $13.5 million rebate of its projected $56.6 million in-state production costs. Production of the film is expected to generate employment for 352 Michigan residents.
“The newest installment of Beverly Hills Cop, from the ultimate ‘fish-out-of-water’ franchise, takes Axel Foley, who has been living a cushy life as a Beverly Hills Detective, back to Detroit during the coldest winter on record to navigate the new rules and old enemies in one of America’s most tenacious cities,” reads the synopsis included in the Michigan Film Office statement.
The film is expected to hit theaters in March 2016.