'Beverly Hills Cop 4' To Move Ahead In Famous Town, With 1 Big Caveat

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Eddie Murphy is slated to reprise his lead role in a fourth installment of the beloved “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, but he may face a tough crowd in Beverly Hills after the city made script approval a requirement for certain filming clearances.

The production will need cooperation from the city of Beverly Hills to bring the iconic film to life — a partnership that could also put some comedic moments on the chopping block to protect the integrity of the Beverly Hills Police Department, according to city council members.

A representative of Beverly Hills and the police department will review parts of the "Beverly Hills Cop 4" script for its portrayal of the city, local crime and the police department as a condition to the production's ability to film certain scenes in the city.

"Many things that were funny in the 80s are not funny now, and it's really important to all of us to make sure that the integrity of our Beverly Hills Police Department is really maintained because we do have an incredible police department," Mayor Lili Bosse said.

Netflix made a licensing deal with Paramount in 2019 to bring "Beverly Hills Cop 4" to life, Deadline reported. The action-comedy "Beverly Hills Cop" was originally filmed in 1984 with Eddie Murphy playing the lead.

The film will include a number of elements that would require permitted approval from the city including: a temporary street closure on Wilshire Boulevard, a wrong-way driving scene on Rodeo Drive, simulated gunfire and the fictional depiction of the Beverly Hills Police Department, according to Magdalena Davis, Special Events and Filming Coordinator for the city of Beverly Hills.

The council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to move forward with the plan so long as the chosen Beverly Hills representative reviews and approves pertinent script pages. Once that process is complete, the city will decide on a final approval of the plan. Netflix has already agreed to this contingency, said Dan Cooley, supervising location manager for "Beverly Hills Cop 4." Cooley is not a direct representative of Netflix.

Bosse raised concern with some specific moments in previous movies such as main character Axel Foley's unfriendly first introduction into Beverly Hills and the crimes depicted in the films. They weren't properly representative of the city, she maintains.

The production has already tweaked drafts of the script based on city feedback, Cooley said.

He pointed to a potential scene in the new movie involving breaking glass, harkening back to the first movie when Axel Foley is thrown out of a window. A call back to this scene did not make it into the newer movie given the city's recent experiences with smash-and-grab robberies, Cooley said.

Bosse introduced the script-reading contingency at a liaison meeting on June 16.

The production is about four weeks away from having a script ready for review, Cooley said. The city has yet to assign a reader. At the city's study session on Tuesday, a representative of BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook's office and Chief Communications Officer Keith Sterling were among potential candidates. Filming wouldn't begin until October, Cooley said at a June 16 meeting.

City personnel have reviewed scripts on other projects to ensure productions don't "step in it, so to say," said Davis, the city's filming coordinator. Such edits have been heavy-handed in the past, Davis said.

Maintaining the city's trust is integral, he said. Nothing would ruin the film's credibility faster than having to shoot in a different city, Cooley added. Still, protecting the creative integrity of the movie — which Cooley called a "private-public partnership"— will be a priority.

Many council members affirmed the city is aware of Beverly Hills' stereotypes and is ready to take a joke.

"Yes, of course we want to protect you and we want your support. ... [But] one of the things that we really want to do is keep some creative integrity for the story we are trying to tell and have some understanding that it is a comedy, there will be some jokes. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be portraying Beverly Hills in a negative light," Cooley said. "It's one thing to protect the integrity of the police department, it's another thing to have too many changes with our script."

Beverly Hills City Council members pointed to public safety and the integrity of the police department when explaining the need for oversight. The film should draw viewers to Beverly Hills and not inflate the perception of crime in the city, Bosse said.

BHPD has been looking for ways to recruit more officers. Bosse and Councilmember Bob Wunderlich both said they hope the movie helps.

"The Beverly Hills Police Department are the heroes at the end of this film. I think, with everything that's gone on the last few years, it's something that we're also keeping in mind and something that we're very very conscious of," Cooley said.

The Beverly Hills Police Department has faced public scrutiny in recent years for a number of scandals related to tactics and race. Former Beverly Hills Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli resigned in April 2020 amid lawsuits claiming she had made racist remarks and harassed employees. The department more recently faced a class-action lawsuit claiming the department engaged in large-scale racial profiling.

In 2020, Beverly Hills became a high-profile site for Black Lives Matter and pro-Donald Trump protests.

The city has also seen high-profile crimes in recent months including home-invasion and commercial robberies that have brought public safety to the fore of the city's discourse.

"What we're trying to do — what I'm trying to do, ... is to raise awareness that we're not the same city that we were 40 years ago, either. And we've been through a pretty difficult couple of years and everybody's very sensitive to it, not just the police but our businesses and our residents," Gold said. "It just won't feel good if this becomes something that kind of brings up all that stuff, and so I think we just really want to protect against that."

Hollywood's Relationship With Police, Precedent

Councilmembers referenced a number of examples including the recently released "Top Gun: Maverick," which received equipment, personnel and technical support from the U.S. Department of Defense, according to the Washington Post.

"In fact, the films in the past have been quite helpful in making Beverly Hills what it is, [and] "Top Gun" has been quite helpful for the military," Wunderlich said.

The original "Top Gun" was credited for piloting a new way for Hollywood and the military to work together — a move that came with significant criticism, according to the Washington Post. Lead actor Tom Cruise himself in 1990 said making a sequel would be irresponsible given the critique, the Washington Post reported.

Jerry Bruckheimer, a producer on "Top Gun" and "Top Gun: Maverick," is a Beverly Hills resident and will produce "Beverly Hills Cop 4."

Many well-known actors and artists, including actors Kendrick Sampson, Viola Davis, Michael B. Jordan and Idris Elba, publicly critiqued the entertainment industry's relationship with police amid mass protests following the police murder of George Floyd.

In an open letter signed by Black Lives Matter and NAACP leaders, hundreds of actors called on industry leaders to consider how Hollywood contributes to the "criminalization of Black people, the misrepresentation of the legal system, and the glorification of police corruption and violence." Read the full letter here.

Around the same time, another group of actors asked the entertainment industry to break its ties to police and "publicly condemn the institution of police as a violent force that exists to further class divisions," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bosse also referenced Peloton's inclusion in a "Sex in the City" spin-off as an example of what should not happen. Peloton was not warned that their bike would be the cause of a character's death early in the film, a spokesperson told Buzzfeed.

Councilmember Lester Friedman brought up the October shooting on the "Rust" film set in New Mexico, emphasizing gun safety on the "Beverly Hills Cop 4" set.

Local Business and Residents

Councilmembers and Cooley referenced a number of factors that indicate the film will benefit the city, including its benefit to local businesses and tourism.

"The franchise, obviously, has been good for Beverly Hills," Wunderlich said at the June 16 meeting. "We depend upon people coming to visit Beverly Hills and spend their money here to provide the resources that we need for all the services that we have — for our police, fire, for everything else — and so we like that. The franchise has been helpful with that."

Councilmembers addressed a number of logistical concerns about crowd control, street closures restricting access to homes and local businesses and simulated gunfire.

Beverly Hills police and fire personnel have reviewed the logistical requests and saw no risk to public safety, authorities said at the June 16 liaison meeting.

The production will use a prop that produces a quieter sound than a normal gunshot, Cooley said. Residents in the area will be warned far ahead of time in multiple formats and local authorities will be on-site, Davis said.

Local businesses will participate in the production in a couple of different ways: some businesses will be integral to scenes, which the production will reach directly out to. Other "film-friendly" businesses will offer up space for the production crew to set up camp.