Beverly Hills Cop...

[MacCaulay]

...so I'm watching a doc on the Casting of Beverly Hills Cop. Apparently, the script was around for almost six months with a different lead...SYLVESTER STALLONE.

Now, if you'll remember, Axel Foley ends up going to Beverly Hills after his friend (who comes to see him) is killed by a mob hit squad. In the original script, he was supposed to be Stallone's brother.

Now, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, and most of the other leads were already cast. When Stallone dropped out and Murphy came in, then they basically rewrote the script and proceeded.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[Julius Vogel]

This documentary may have been attached to the DVD set I purchased recently. It was pretty revealing

Stallone can do comedy, but it doesn't always work and it would be more of a brute type rather than Murphy's

 

[Theodoric]

That's why they made the Jenny character an old friend of Axel's instead of a lover; can't have mixed-race relationships in the 80s. It does work better for the film, admittedly.

Stallone can do comedy, but it doesn't always work and it would be more of a brute type rather than Murphy's

And, well, Eddie Murphy was the best comedic figure of the 80's. Really hard to top.

 

[Admiral Ackbar]

Beverly Hills Cop with Stallone wouldn't have been the number one hit of 1984, that's for sure. It'd be lucky to do half of the OTL domestic box office, and my guess is it would be somewhere closer to $50 million. Essentially it would be Cobra in both style and box office. Remember, other than the Rocky and Rambo movies Stallone didn't cross $100 million until the Expendables.

Murphy just had hits in the previous two years with 48 Hrs. and Trading Places, he was the star of SNL, and was considered one of the funniest guys in America at that point. He was blowing up at just the right time, and got paired with just the right movie, where they geared the script toward his strengths, even allowing him to ad lib many of the lines.

 

[TxCoatl1970]

Stallone makes Cobra early!

Stallone doesn't get props for his acting chops, such as they are, but Stallone as a comedian makes me shiver with anxiety.
The only decent comedies I've seen him in were Demolition Man and Judge Dredd . where he's the striaght men and everyone else riffs on him.
Then, there's Cobra and Stop or My Mom Will Shoot! that were abysmal. eek:

Walter Hill's is an awesome director, so chances of an acceptable action movie are pretty good but IMO without Eddie Murphy as the comedic catalyst, the comedic souffle doesn't rise or stay up. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton were straight men already.

You could get some chuckles from Reinhold or Ashton calling back to Rocky and Rambo lampshading what a Neanderthal cop Stallone is compared to their professionalism.
Maybe even for camp coolness points, have Bruce Campbell come in as Ash chainsaw and shotgun in hand saying, "I'd be more subtle than Axel...with less casualties..." when they're about to bum rush the mansion...

 

[Magniac]

You know what early Eddie Murphy film might still work reasonably well with the addition of Sylvester Stallone?

48 Hrs. Stallone instead of Nick Nolte.

Sly did a fair sorta-pseudo-realistic-gritty in Nighthawks and the first Rambo and Rocky entries, and again with Cop Land and even Assassins later on.

 

[krull1m]

Stallone doesn't get props for his acting chops, such as they are, but Stallone as a comedian makes me shiver with anxiety.
The only decent comedies I've seen him in were Demolition Man and Judge Dredd . where he's the striaght men and everyone else riffs on him.

...

Have you seen the movie "Oscar"? Its a strange comedy but I love it and Stallone is good as the mob-boss desperately trying to gos traight

 

[timeforce red]

thanks for the name been looking for this for sometime.