Eddie Murphy
According to the latest reports, it seems that Paramount has hired
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to direct its long-awaited fourth
installment of the Beverly Hills Cop series. The Belgian writer-
directors are best known for their edgy drama Black, which won
the Discovery Award at the Toronto Film Festival last year. The
studio, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Eddie Murphy have been
working diligently to get the script and elements right for a film that
had been once been slated to be released this year. They loved
Black, and when they met with the filmmakers, they were charmed
to discover how important the original Beverly Hills Cop was to
them. Even though this is a major step up from the budget of their
last film, this became an opportunity to reframe a venerable
franchise with youthful energy. They will direct a script by writers
Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec that will bring Murphy’s street
smart cop character Axel Foley back to his Detroit origins. Word is
that the duo plans to get the film in production late this year or
early 2017.
The trades are reporting the news that Donald Glover has
joined the cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Jon
Watts-directed superhero movie that stars Tom Holland
for Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios. The big question
that will be asked in the fanboy set is, what role is he
playing? The talented young actor was at the center of a
lot of social media conjecturing back when the project
was solidifying, as many felt he would be an ideal
candidate to play the Spidey character in his third major
onscreen iteration. Glover, aside from being a writer on
30 Rock handpicked at age 21 by Tina Fey to becoming
a cast member on Community and co-star of films like
The Martian, Magic Mike XXL and The Lazarus Effect, is
also a hip hop artist who records under the name Childish
Gambino. The film also stars Michael Keaton as The
Vulture, and which has a youthful cast of Peter Parker
pals played by Zendaya, Michael Barbieri, Kenneth Choi
and Tony Revolori. Robert Downey Jr., who helped
introduce Holland’s fresh-faced Spidey character in
Captain America: Civil War, has also signed on to wear
his Iron Man costume for the film. Marisa Tomei also
reprises her role as Aunt May. Spider-Man: Homecoming
will be released July 5 th nationwide.
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R/T-B:
Zendaya &
Robert Downey, Jr.
L/T-B:
Donald Glover &
Michael Keaton