Stallone Exits Iconic 80s Action Film 40 Years Ago, Replaced by Rising Star!

Released in 1985 in the United States, “Beverly Hills Cop” introduces us to Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), a Detroit police detective. He heads to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of one of his friends involved in criminal activities. His investigation soon uncovers a large drug trafficking network run by a powerful businessman.

One Idea, Two Stories

The concept for “Beverly Hills Cop” dates back to 1977, with varying claims about its origin according to producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Michael Eisner supposedly came up with the idea first after calling the Beverly Hills police, believing his house was being burglarized. The police responded in just two minutes.

Another version comes from Don Simpson, who claims he had the inspiration after being stopped by the same Beverly Hills police while driving. The producers then approached screenwriter Danilo Bach to pen the idea. Bach got to work and submitted his script to Bruckheimer, Eisner, and Simpson.

Four years later, in 1981, Bach finally heard back about his screenplay. The production was greenlit, with Mickey Rourke initially signed on with a contract and $400,000 to secure his availability and prevent him from taking other roles.

The script, later revised by Daniel Petrie Jr., shifted towards a police comedy, whereas Danilo Bach had crafted an action-oriented story envisioning actors like James Caan, Al Pacino, or Clint Eastwood for the role of Axel Foley.

From Mickey Rourke to Stallone

As time passed, the film’s development faced delays, and Rourke’s contract expired. The actor, at the height of his fame following the success of “Body Heat,” had to unfortunately leave the project.

It was then that Eddie Murphy was approached by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who offered him the role of Foley. Murphy was thrilled. The producers then pitched the idea to Paramount. However, it was too late; the studio had already offered the role to Sylvester Stallone, who had become a global star after the successes of “Rocky” and “Rambo.”

According to Bruckheimer, Paramount did not expect Stallone to accept the role given the comedic tone of the script. Surprisingly, Stallone agreed but wanted to rewrite his character.

However, Stallone deeply involved himself in the screenplay, even renaming the character Axel Cobretti (to be nicknamed the Cobra of Motor City) and adding numerous action scenes.

Eddie Murphy Takes Control

The budget then skyrocketed from $14 million to $20 million. Producers Barry Diller, Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson, and Michael Eisner convened to decide what to do. Diller concluded that the film could not proceed with such a budget and decided to change actors.

The studio backtracked and informed Stallone that he would not be part of the film. Stallone, very graciously, understood Paramount’s decision and left the project. The ideas he had for “Beverly Hills Cop” would later be used in “Cobra,” released in 1986.

With Stallone out, the script returned to its police comedy roots and had to start shooting in just two weeks! Paramount hired Martin Brest to direct and reached out again to Eddie Murphy, who was still available to step into the role of the cunning cop Axel Foley.

The rest is history; the film catapulted the actor to international superstardom. Grossing over $300 million worldwide (nearly 3 million tickets sold in France), “Beverly Hills Cop” became a defining film of its era and a cult classic over time.

“Beverly Hills Cop changed every other cop movie. Before, it was Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood… After this movie, cops started cracking jokes. Every cop in the movies tried to be funny. This film was the original action-comedy, one of the first to achieve such success.” – Eddie Murphy.

Yeah, man! There are some slips in Axel Foley’s story: see for yourself with the trilogy reviewed by Michel & Michel…