News

Despite Eddie Murphy eventually being Oscar-nominated for his nuanced turn in 2006's Dreamgirls, the actor was primarily known before that for his comedic roles that defined his career and turned him into one of the biggest box office stars in the industry. It's unclear how many dramatic aspirations Murphy had during the early '90s, but he had an opportunity to take a role in a 1992 Spike Lee Joint that would go on to star Denzel Washington, but he was advised against taking the role from none other than the late and great Sidney Poitier.

During an interview in the Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, via Entertainment Weekly, Murphy revealed that Poitier advised him against starring in Lee's biographical drama, Malcolm X, which would go on to be led by Washington. The movie was originally spearheaded by Norman Jewison, who had...

Is there a kernel of truth to the notion that "popcorn stars" don't win Oscars? It certainly felt that way to fans hoping to see Demi Moore pull off a Best Actress victory at the 2025 Oscars. Her daring performance as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance had earned her a Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and SAG Award, putting her in frontrunner position as she arrived at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2. But suddenly, those hopes were dashed when Emma Stone read out the winner: Mikey Madison in Anora.

It wasn't unfamiliar to see one of the biggest box-office draws from decades past lose the big one. Perhaps the Academy couldn't see past what Moore had once been told she was — a popcorn actress. She addressed the demeaning title in her Golden Globes acceptance speech nearly two months prior, stating that a producer called her a “popcorn actress” 30 years ago, which...

Peter Jason, the prolific character actor best known for his work on Deadwood and his numerous John Carpenter collaborations, died at 80 on Thursday, February 20. Jason's career spanned decades and encompassed everything from Westerns to horror films and video games.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Jason passed away in his West Hollywood home following a long battle with cancer. Jason was born on July 22, 1944, in Hollywood, CA, and began working on stage while he studied drama at Carnegie; his passion for theater continued throughout his life, with participation in over 150 plays. In the 1960s, he began making television appearances with roles in shows including The F.B.I., Cimarron Strip, and Here Come the Brides, with his film debut arriving in 1970, when he briefly appeared in Howard Hawks' western Rio Lobo as Lieutenant Forsythe.

Throughout his decades-long career, Jason amassed over 250 credits across film, television and video games. On screen, Jason often portrayed military and authority figures,...

Peter Jason, a character actor known for his roles in “Deadwood,” “48 Hrs.” and “Prince of Darkness,” along with his many television appearances, died Thursday in his West Hollywood home. He was 80.

Jason’s death was confirmed by a rep from Tribesmen Pictures, with the cause of death being cancer. On X, “Halloween” director John Carpenter shared a tribute to the actor, writing that “he was a dear friend and I’ll miss him terribly.”

Matthew Asner, son of the late Edward Asner, also shared a tribute.

“My dear, dear friend, the brightest light, most generous soul and gregarious of men, the supremely talented and kind Peter Jason has left the set,” Matthew Asner wrote on Facebook. “I am heartbroken. My dear friend and my father’s best friend, Peter Jason, passed away today. What a loss. He was truly one of the sweetest people on the planet. My heart...

Over the course of a career that stretched back to 1967, Peter Jason racked up more than 270 screen acting credits, turning in performances that inspired legendary filmmaker John Carpenter to name him “one of the great character actors in cinema” – and to cast him in seven different projects: Prince of Darkness, They Live, Body Bags, In the Mouth of Madness, Village of the Damned, Escape from L.A., and Ghosts of Mars. Sadly, Carpenter has now had to take to social media to break the news to his fans and followers that Jason has passed away at the age of 80. Carpenter wrote, “His first movie was Howard Hawks’ Rio Lobo. He was a dear friend and I’ll miss him terribly.“

It is true that the 1970 film Rio Lobo was Jason’s first theatrical feature, but he already had three years of TV acting to his name at that point, with credits...

Peter Jason, the extremely busy character actor who appeared in nine features for Walter Hill and seven for John Carpenter and portrayed the card dealer-turned-reverend Con Stapleton on HBO’s Deadwood, has died. He was 80.

Jason died Thursday in his West Hollywood home after a long battle with cancer, a family representative told The Hollywood Reporter.

Jason amassed more than 275 acting credits on IMDb alone during his seven-decade onscreen career that began in the mid-1960s with a comedy sketch on CBS’ The Red Skelton Show, and he made his big-screen debut in Howard Hawks’ final film, Rio Lobo (1970), where his character died in the arms of John Wayne.

The Hollywood native also was an actor and production associate for Orson Welles on The Other Side of the Wind, which came out in 2018 after 48 years in development.

After working for Hill in The Driver (1978) and The Long Riders (1980), the fun-loving...

Peter Jason, a prolific character best known for his role as Deadwood‘s dim-witted card dealer Con Stapleton and numerous performances in the films of John Carpenter and Walter Hill, died Thursday. He was 80.

A cause of death was not immediately available.

His death was announced Thursday evening by, among other colleagues, Halloween director Carpenter, who called him “one of the great character actors in cinema.” Wrote Carpenter on X, “He was a dear friend and I’ll miss him terribly.”

Other friends and colleagues also shared the news. Actor Billy Zane wrote on X, “My dear, dear friend, the brightest light, most generous soul and gregarious of men, the supremely talented and kind Peter Jason has left the set,” and Matthew Asner, son of the late actor Ed Asner, wrote on Facebook, “I am heartbroken. My dear friend and my father’s best friend, Peter Jason, passed away today.

Quick LinksWhat is Southern Comfort About?Southern Comfort Is Directed by One of the All-Time GreatsHow Does Southern Comfort Relate to Clint Eastwood?

Clint Eastwood is one of the greatest movie directors of all time. This past year, he released what might be his final film, Juror No.2, and it didn't disappoint. Throughout his career, Eastwood has cemented himself as a filmmaker of habit. He gets into a rhythm and follows trends. For years, Eastwood was dedicated to the Western genre, releasing Unforgiven, Pale Rider, High Plains Drifter, and more. Soon after, he found himself in the business of dismantling bureaucracy with Changeling, Sully, and Richard Jewell. Somewhere in between these two trends, though, Eastwood found himself fascinated with war. The war genre is wide, varied, and controversial, ranging from grandiose battle films to propagandized nonsense to unflinchingly realistic depictions of violence, all the way to haunting portrayals of post-war blues.

Live from New York, it's the Eddie Murphy show! At least, that was how one episode of Saturday Night Live infamously opened back in 1982. Over 150 people have been a part of the SNL cast, and several have returned to host after exiting. But only one ever hosted while still a member of the cast.

In that December 1982 episode, Nick Nolte was scheduled to host SNL to promote his action film 48 Hrs. But Nolte canceled, and his 48 Hrs. co-star Eddie Murphy hosted in his place. While a seemingly inconsequential move at the time, Murphy's hosting stint is now regarded as one of the factors that jumpstarted his burgeoning career. A career that would later put him at odds with the very same show that gave him his big break. The early '80s were a notoriously rough period for SNL, with Murphy being one of the few bright spots.

Prior to its release in 1991, there was every reason to believe that Michael Lehmann's heist comedy "Hudson Hawk" would be a hit. It was written by star screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, who had already had gigantic success with film like "48 Hrs.," "Commando," "Jumping Jack Flash," and "The Running Man." His biggest smash was "Die Hard" in 1988, and he was tapped to write the sequel two years later. "Hudson Hawk" would re-team de Souza with "Die Hard" star Bruce Willis, and the film would boast performances from Danny Aiello, fresh from "Moonstruck," as well as James Coburn, Richard E. Grant, Sandra Bernhard, and Andie MacDowell. Lehmann, meanwhile, also had a big cult success in 1988 with "Heathers." Never mind that his bonkers mutant-bug movie "Meet the Applegates" bombed in 1990. The sensibility was there. 

"Hudson Hawk" is an odd duck. Willis plays the titular cat burglar, freshly released from prison,...

Things were not looking good for Deadpool 3, and the film was close to not being made until Hugh Jackman stepped in, turning the project into the billion-dollar blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine.

In a new interview with Variety between Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy and Wicked director Jon M. Chu, Levy revealed that his film was nearly scrapped until one phone call from Hugh Jackman saved it. It began with a question from Chu, who asked Levy if he felt enormous pressure directing a project like Deadpool & Wolverine. Levy's answer might surprise fans.

Levy answered, “People assumed the pressure would be 'Oh, it’s my first Marvel movie, and the MCU needs a big hit.' It had been years since Endgame, and when we were prepping, Quantumania came out. I expected Marvel was going to be intense. It wasn’t.”

Related Boy Band: Ryan Reynolds Teases Reunion...

Eddie Murphy Turned Down Ghostbusters for Beverly Hills Cop (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Picture this: Eddie Murphy, the legend behind 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop, joining the Ghostbusters crew. Sounds perfect. But in the early 80s, Murphy passed on the chance. Why? He thought Ghostbusters sounded like “a crock.”

In a 2003 chat, he admitted turning down the role when Dan Aykroyd pitched it on the Trading Places set. Aykroyd saw Eddie as a game-changing addition to the team. But instead of chasing ghosts, Murphy chose Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop, a role that became a cultural icon in its epic way.

Murphy himself admitted in a 2021 Parade interview:

Trending How Will Chris Evans Return To The MCU After His Endgame Appearance?

Did Sophie Turner Nearly Miss Her Game Of Thrones Breakout Role?

“I wish I could have been in both, but I did Beverly Hills Cop instead of Ghostbusters.

Time and again, celebrities who began their careers as child stars have opened up about the challenges of navigating fame and the pressures of Hollywood from a young age. Eddie Murphy, for example, was only 19 when he joined Saturday Night Live in 1980.

Robin Williams as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting | Miramax Films

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Murphy reflected on how easy it was to get lured to drugs at the time and place he was in back then, and how grateful he is for avoiding that path. Moreover, it was Robin Williams who once offered him the good.

How Eddie Murphy Dodged a Dangerous Offer from Robin Williams and John Belushi

Eddie Murphy skyrocketed to fame as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984 and soon became a movie icon with hits like 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop.

It seems Elon Musk has decided it’s time to let the truth fly, regardless of how uncomfortable it might be. Recently, the CEO of Tesla Motors, 53, joined Joe Rogan in a candid conversation where the former didn’t pull any punches. Among the hot topics was the indictment of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the hip-hop mogul whose connections to the music industry have long raised eyebrows.

Elon Musk | Credit: The Joe Rogan Experience/YouTube

Musk pointed fingers at those who have, in his view, turned a blind eye to Combs’ alleged abuses and continued to support him despite the clear signs. His criticisms didn’t stop with Diddy. The conversation also took aim at Jennifer Lopez, Diddy’s ex and one of Hollywood’s most high-profile figures.

Elon Musk Discusses Diddy’s Alleged Abuses and Hollywood’s Silence

As Elon Musk and Joe Rogan recently discussed in The Joe Rogan Experience,...

Scott Glenn was so charmed by his “Eugene the Marine” co-star Jim Gaffigan that while filming a particularly wild fight scene, the 85-year-old modified a stunt so he didn’t accidentally kill the comedian.

“All that I was concerned with when we got to the end of this scene was making it physically as real as possible, but also as safe as possible,” Glenn says, during a Zoom conversation with Gaffigan for Variety. “For instance, I don’t know if Jim knows this, but at one point I put something called a ‘naked choke’ on him. I always made sure that my bicep was not really next to his carotid artery, because if you squeeze that thing wrong, you can very quickly halt blood going to the brain and hurt somebody permanently.”

For Glenn, it was just another day at the office — “You think about things like that,” he deadpans,...

Beverly Hills Cop was truly one of the greatest comedies of the 1980s, and it boasted an incredibly talented cast of comedic performers. While this was the movie that turned Eddie Murphy from a notable comedian into an international superstar, it also featured many iconic performances from the rest of its acclaimed cast. Although for some Beverly Hills Cop cast members this may have been their best-known role, when digging into the backlogs of their filmographies, its shocking just how many hidden comedic gems there are just waiting to be discovered.

The legacy of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise has been absolutely huge, as not only did it feature one of the greatest synth movie scores of the 1980s, but it also helped revitalize the buddy cop genre for a new era. Murphys characterization of Axel Foley was packed with humor, but just as important were his supporting actors, who...

To industry outsiders, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' recent decision to add a Best Casting category seemed an odd choice. Though the casting process isn't necessarily a mystery to most people, if they've ever experienced it firsthand it was probably auditioning for a school or local play. In these cases, they're auditioning for the director, maybe the writer, and possibly a producer. There is no casting person present.

Obviously, anyone who's ever watched a movie has surely become accustomed to seeing a casting credit during the opening credits, but how many people bother to Google the details of how casting on a feature film works? It's not just a question of fit. It can get awfully political if an agent attempts to force an up-and-coming actor into a production, and has the leverage to do so because they represent bigger names. A whole host of factors can come into play when,...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

The year 2024 brought us a long-awaited fourth installment of the "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise. Led by Eddie Murphy, the action comedy film series began back in 1984, with the comedian and "Saturday Night Live" veteran playing smart-ass Detroit cop Axel Foley, who follows a case that takes him to the upscale Los Angeles locale, where he inevitably stirs up trouble. Riding a wave of stardom thanks to big screen roles in "48 Hrs." and "Trading Places," Murphy became a big screen phenomenon after "Beverly Hills Cop," as he took the lead for the first time and sparked a box office success that resulted in a trilogy of films (though each was worse than its predecessor).

Despite the decline in quality, with "Beverly Hills Cop 3" being an atrocious addition to the franchise, fans still wanted to see what Axel Foley might...

The best comedic performances from the 1980s are still just as funny decades later. The 1980s produced plenty of hilarious comedy movies, with studios investing in original ideas and fresh talents. Actors like Eddie Murphy and Bill Murray were on top of their game in the 1980s, delivering some iconic performances which have stood the test of time. 40 years later or more, they are still career-defining.

1980s comedies had a particular feel to them. Before the cynicism and dark comedies of the 1990s, Hollywood comedies in the 1980s were mostly optimistic and comforting. Characters still went through dire straits, but there was always hope that they would come out on the other side as better and happier people. This style of comedy is always popular, since its hopeful nature is great to rewatch over and over again.

Related 10 1980s Comedies Barely Anyone Remembers

Some of the most influential comedies of...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Sissy Spacek (Carrie) and three-time Oscar nominee Nick Nolte (The Thin Red Line) have been tapped for roles in Die, My Love, Lynne Ramsay’s thriller based on the 2017 novel by Ariana Harwicz.

Details as to the duo’s roles are under wraps. The project reunites Spacek and Nolte following their work together on Affliction, the 1997 crime drama written and directed by Paul Schrader. As previously announced, Jennifer Lawerence, Robert Pattinson and Lakeith Stanfield will also star.

Set in a remote forgotten rural area, the story follows a mother (Lawrence) who struggles to maintain her sanity as she battles with psychosis. Pattinson will be playing her husband, and Stanfield, her lover.

Ramsay is directing from her script written with Enda Walsh. Producers on the project include Justine Ciarrocchi and Lawerence on behalf of Excellent Cadaver, as well as Martin Scorsese and Andrea Calderwood. Black Label Media is financing.

Buddy cop films involve two characters from police departments working together to solve a crime with action or comedy elements. The best buddy cop films star charismatic leads and show characters with opposing beliefs coming together by the end of the film. Rush Hour and Bad Boys sequels continue to entertain fans, while new pairings in films like Live Free or Die Hard offer fresh dynamics.

The buddy cop subgenre saw a rise in popularity during the '80s with films like 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop, and has continued to find success decades later with some of the best examples coming from the 2000s. Though the subgenre's later films earned more criticism for being too derivative of earlier works, there are still plenty of entertaining examples to be found in the decade. Rush Hour and Bad Boys' sequel films continued the adventures of fan-favorite buddy cop duos, while...

Well, folks, summer is almost over. For some of you, this will be bad news — summer is a time of fun in the sun! Others will find solace in the fact that fall, arguably the best season, is on the way. But no matter how you feel, the simple fact of the matter is that change is inevitable. We can't stop the seasons anymore than we can stop Netflix from saying goodbye to certain titles once the calendar rolls over. So as August gives way to September, it will be time to part ways with several movies and TV shows currently available on the streaming giant. As usual, we're here to both list all the titles leaving the service and highlight a handful that you definitely want to check out before they're gone. There's always a chance these films and TV shows will return to Netflix one day, but for now,...

The Supreme Court decision Miranda v. Arizona came down in 1966, and served as a crackdown on sloppy or abusive police interrogations. Miranda noted that suspects, when being arrested, had certain rights afforded them, including the right to remain silent while in custody, and the right to have a state-appointed attorney to defend them. Thanks to its use in an endless stream of cop shows and "Law & Order" reruns, most Americans can recite the Miranda warning by heart. We all now know that, upon arrest, we have the right to remain silent.

Not everyone was pleased about the Miranda decision, however, and many conservative pundits at the time felt that it only hamstrung police officers. There was a fear that truly evil criminals would exploit the system to their benefit, keeping silent and protected, while street cops -- knowing them to be guilty -- would be helpless to, say, beat a confession out of them.

Eddie Murphy's lackluster directorial debut in Harlem Nights led to a career slump in the late 1980s. The film's disappointing box-office performance highlighted Murphy's reluctance to direct again. Despite the setbacks, Murphy's resilience and comeback performances in the 1990s solidified his box-office standing.

Like all bankable Hollywood stars who direct feature films, Eddie Murphy was given the chance to make his feature directorial debut because of his box-office drawing power, which was virtually unparalleled throughout much of the 1980s. Indeed, his uninspired feature directorial debut, the 1989 crime comedy film Harlem Nights, is emblematic of how he probably had too much power for his own good. By the late 1980s, the anarchic comedic presence that the actor displayed with his star-making performance in the 1982 buddy cop action comedy film 48 Hrs. was absent and replaced with cautiousness and predictability.

Like other box-office superstars who achieve a level of popularity...

It’s “Back to the Future” week at Netflix, literally.

Not only is Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 classic time travel comedy the #6 film at the streamer, but one of the decade’s most iconic characters is back with the just-released “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” #1 there.

Picking up theatrical franchises isn’t unprecedented for the streamer. Netflix produced the second “Knives Out” film and is currently in production on the third. Previously, the company took shots at the “Cloverfield” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” series — to little impact. Netflix has continued some Tyler Perry series. But “Beverly Hills Cop” is a whole other level in terms of previous iconic success.

The 1984 original was one of the biggest comedy hits ever released, with an adjusted domestic gross of over $600 million. A fourth film has been in the works for years, with Murphy, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and Netflix joining forces to license “Beverly Hills Cop...

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F reunites memorable franchise characters and features Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Axel Foley. The film follows Foley's estranged daughter, Jane, as they join forces to uncover a conspiracy within the Beverly Hills Police Department. Returning characters include Billy Rosewood, John Taggart, and Serge, while Paul Reiser's character, Jeffrey Friedman, has a significant role as Axel's boss.

Watching Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series, is like entering a time machine. The wave of nostalgia that extends throughout the film revolves around Eddie Murphy, who reprises the role of wisecracking Detroit cop Axel Foley, who once again travels to Beverly Hills to settle personal and police business, nearly 40 years after the now 63-year-old Murphy debuted as Foley in Beverly Hills Cop.

While Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has received mixed reviews, longtime viewers of the...

First released in 1984, Martin Brest’s “Beverly Hills Cop” was one of the defining movies of its decade, and a huge stepping stone (along with “48 Hrs.” and “Trading Places”) toward stardom for Eddie Murphy. It not only spawned two sequels over the next decade, but set a template for action comedies that persists today. “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” marks the overdue fourth installment in the franchise and introduces with it a director to watch: Mark Molloy.

After beginning his career as a director of commercials for brands like Nike, Google and Apple, Molloy makes his feature debut with “Axel F,” which drew heavily from the first two “Beverly Hills Cop” films while pushing forward the story of its eponymous detective, now father to an equally-driven but estranged daughter (played by “Zola” breakout Taylour Paige).

While Netflix commemorates the 40th anniversary of Brest’s original with this sequel, Molloy...

This article contains spoilers for "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F."

Actors almost never become movie stars overnight. Even the born-to-dazzle likes of Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, and Paul Newman needed a bit of runway to soar to that rarified Hollywood air. Eddie Murphy, however, needed just one moment in his first movie to become a generational showbiz phenomenon.

That moment arrived 38 minutes into Walter Hill's 1982 action-comedy hit "48 Hrs.," when Murphy's furloughed criminal Reggie Hammond convinces Nick Nolte's Detective Jack Cates to let him shakedown a redneck bar's racist patrons for information on the whereabouts of a cop killer. Reggie, tired of Cates insistence that it takes "bullls*** and experience" to successfully interrogate suspects, invites the officer to "Come on in and experience some of my bulls***." Armed with nothing but Cates' shield and his mouth, Reggie bullies cows a saloon full of hostile white folks into terrified silence.

Nostalgia, when it comes to reviving an old movie series, can be axiomatic. Every so often you see a genuine great piece of nostalgia — like “Creed” or the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot or the 2014 “Godzilla.” But then there’s the kind of nostalgia represented by “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.” Plotted like a generic police-corruption thriller, lit with cruddy efficiency, pausing every 10 minutes or so for a “light” moment, the movie is no “Beverly Hills Cop.” But it’s better than the ballistic noise orgy that was “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1986) or the clunky retro mess of “Beverly Hills Cop III” (1994), so I guess we should be grateful. And I suspect that a lot of viewers who grew up in the ’80s will be.

Let’s be clear, though, about the level of nostalgia this movie is aiming for. “Axel F.” is studded with moments that are designed to be time-machine triggers,...

Eddie Murphy was only 23 when "Beverly Hills Cop" arrived in theaters in 1984, and the action comedy helped make him a superstar. Murphy's raw talent was already apparent thanks to his work on "Saturday Night Live," a show he joined when he as 19. His feature debut in Walter Hill's 1982 flick "48 Hrs." took him even further, as did his follow-up movie, 1983's "Trading Places". But "Beverly Hills Cop," directed by Martin Brest, helped solidify that Murphy was the real deal; a bonafide movie star. It was a mega-hit, and almost immediately made trash-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley an iconic character. Murphy was so cool, so confident, so suave that he took the character to extreme heights, taking a high concept pitch — what if a tough city cop ended up in posh Beverly Hills? — and creating movie magic in the process. Like Eddie Murphy, Axel Foley was young, hip, and in-demand.

Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, joined by a star-studded cast including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judge Reinhold, and Kevin Bacon. The long-awaited fourth installment follows Foley as he teams up with his daughter and ex-boyfriend to uncover a conspiracy in Beverly Hills. Netflix produced the film, which has a reported budget of $150 million, making it one of their most expensive movies.

Eddie Murphy is back as the character that made him a star in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and hes got a great supporting cast backing him up, featuring both returning icons like Judge Reinhold and fresh faces like Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The long-awaited fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise sees Detroit cop Axel Foley returning to Beverly Hills after his estranged daughters life is put in danger. He teams up with his daughter, her ex-boyfriend, and his old Beverly Hills P.D.

Eddie Murphy revealed on The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast that Marlon Brando told him that “acting is bullshit, when Murphy’s star profile was on the rise in the wake of “48 Hrs.” Murphy was a known comedian at the time thanks to his stint on “Saturday Night Live,” but “48 Hrs.” was his first movie role and started his ascent as a film star. “Trading Places” and “Beverly Hills Cop” followed and cemented his status.

“I was having these famous people that I grew up watching on television wanting to have a meal with me,” Murphy remembered about becoming famous in Hollywood. “After ’48 Hrs.’ Marlon Brando calls my agent and wants to meet me. Now I look back and go, ‘Wow, that’s crazy: The greatest actor of all time wants to have dinner with you!’ But back then I just thought, ‘Well, that’s the way...

Eddie Murphy may have just been born uber-confident. From a young age, he knew was gonna make it and, indeed, by just 19, he was already a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” From there, he would go on to star in comedy hits like “48 Hrs.” and “Trading Places,” which is when he started receiving recognition from his fellow thespians. A recognition he says in a recent interview with The New York Times, he didn’t quite appreciate it at the time.

“I started at maybe around 13, 14, saying that I was going to be famous,” Murphy said. “I’d tell my mother, ‘When I’m famous…’ So when I got famous, it was like, ‘See, I told you.’ I was having these famous people that I grew up watching on television wanting to have a meal with me. After ‘48 Hrs.’ Marlon Brando calls my agent and wants to meet me.

Beverly Hills Cop 3 almost broke the franchise formula by sending Axel Foley to London, which could have transformed the series. Eddie Murphy's dislike of the third film delayed the arrival of the fourth entry Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F by decades. The staleness of Beverly Hills Cop 3 could have been avoided by taking Axel to new locales, which would have also expanded the scope of the series.

Beverly Hills Cop 3 almost broke the franchise formula in a key way and could have transformed it completely. Eddie Murphy had an incredible run of hits during the 1980s, following the success of his acting debut 48 Hrs. It felt like he couldn't miss, with everything from Trading Places to the critically lambasted fantasy The Golden Child becoming smash hits. It was the original Beverly Hills Cop movie that cemented Murphy's stardom, with the film still being one...

Eddie Murphy's initial critique of Beverly Hills Cop 2 as "mediocre" has evolved into a positive view of the sequel in the years since. The upcoming Netflix movie Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is generating positive buzz as a return to form for the franchise. Murphy's reconsideration of Beverly Hills Cop 2 may be influenced by the film's cultural impact and his nostalgia for the property.

Eddie Murphy might be a fan of Beverly Hills Cop's first sequel now, but his initial review wasn't nearly so kind. Murphy's rise to stardom during the 1980s was meteoric, as he quickly went from Saturday Night Live to fronting hits like 48 Hrs and Trading Places. Of course, the Beverly Hills Cop movies are arguably his biggest claim to fame. The first three entries followed Murphy's Detroit detective Axel Foley as he investigated various crimes in Beverly Hills, using a...

Quick Links Eddie Murphy Took Control of 48 Hrs. Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte Are Great Together 48 Hrs. Made Murphy a Movie Star in One Scene Eddie Murphy's performance in 48 Hrs. marked the beginning of his rise to superstardom in Hollywood. Murphy's presence in the film transcended traditional roles, showcasing his dynamic talent and captivating energy. The on-screen chemistry between Murphy and Nick Nolte was an inspiration for future buddy cop films, influencing franchises like Lethal Weapon.

Eddie Murphy was only 19 when he made his first appearance on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1980 when the show was reeling from the departures of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Murphy singularly revitalized Saturday Night Live while establishing himself as the most exciting comedic talent of his generation. By the time he left Saturday Night Live in 1984, he was arguably the hottest star in Hollywood.

Murphy made his feature film debut...

Streets of Fire Image: Universal Pictures Fresh from making Eddie Murphy a star in the hit buddy cop comedy 48 Hrs., Walter Hill, a filmmaker known for genre flicks about men doing a lot of manly shit, had the idea to do, according to the opening credits, a “rock and...

After a stellar 1989, the Hollywood box office of 1990 was expected to be even better – but the film industry got taught some tough lessons.

Browsing the worldwide box office charts for 1989, and many a major studio executive would have been stroking their chin with some degree of comfort. The same old was working. The new things were working. Everything was getting better. The Christmas party was clearly going to be on the impressive side.

What 1989 had proven, after all, was the growing feeling that big stuff worked too. Tim Burton’s Batman had firmly introduced the idea of the huge opening weekend at the box office, and that a movie could become a cultural phenomenon. That patrons would leave the cinema and promptly seek out the soundtrack, the computer game, the book, the T-shirt, the novelty undercrackers.

But it wasn’t just Batman. 1989 proved to Hollywood that, for the most part,...

The Story: A covert army unit goes to war with Cash Bailey (Powers Boothe), a well-connected drug dealer, who also happens to be the childhood best friend of an honest Texas Ranger (Nick Nolte) who’s caught in the middle of what’s turning into a bloody drug war.

The Players: Starring: Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown, William Forsythe, María Conchita Alonso, and Rip Torn. Music by Jerry Goldsmith. Directed by Walter Hill.

The History: Let me take a moment here to pay tribute to an actor who never gets his due anymore: the late Powers Boothe. While never a household name, he was well-known as a character actor in a career that spanned four decades. He appeared in a lot of great movies, including Southern Comfort, The Emerald Forest, Sin City, heck – even The Avengers! But, one of the best roles he ever had was in...

Things were going badly on Saturday Night Live‘s 1980-1981 season, even before producer Jean Doumanian realized than the January 10, 1981 episode was headed towards disaster.

The previous season had seen the departure of Lorne Michaels and the entire cast, including founders Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman, as well as Bill Murray and Harry Shearer. Doumanian had tried to pitch her incoming group of comedians as the next generation for the hit series, but the performers quickly gained reputations as also-rans. Charlie Rocket was a less funny Chevy Chase, Gail Matthius an off-brand Jane Curtin, and so on.

But on that Jan. 10, 1981 episode, hosted by actor Ray Sharkey, things were going particularly badly. The skits went faster than anticipated and the show had five extra minutes to fill. So in an act of desperation, Doumanian followed the advice of writer Neil Levy and pushed 19-year-old featured player...

Screenwriter, director and producer Walter Hill will receive the 2024 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America West.

Per the guild, the award is bestowed upon members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.” A few of Hill’s writing and co-writing credits include “The Getaway,” “48 Hrs.,” “Last Man Standing” and “Dead For A Dollar.”

“Walter Hill’s impact on our industry is undeniable,” said Wgaw president Meredith Stiehm. “His unique style influenced and educated generations of screenwriters who followed. He has had an enduring, renowned career, and the Guild is honored to present him with the Screen Laurel Award.”

In the early 1970s, Hill kicked off his writing career with “Hickey and Boggs,” “The Getaway,” “The Mackintosh” and “The Drowning Pool.” He stepped in the director’s chair for the first time with the 1975 Depression-era film “Hard Times.

The Writers Guild of America West announced on Tuesday that writer, producer and director Walter Hill has been named the recipient of the guild’s 2024 Laurel Award for screenwriting achievement.

The Guild’s lifetime achievement award is presented to members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.”

“Walter Hill’s impact on our industry is undeniable,” said Wgaw President Meredith Stiehm in a statement. “His unique style influenced and educated generations of screenwriters who followed. He has had an enduring, renowned career, and the Guild is honored to present him with the Screen Laurel Award.”

As a writer, Hill’s credits include Hickey and Boggs, The Getaway, The Drowning Pool, Aliens and Alien 3. Hill made his directorial debut in 1975 with Hard Times, which he also wrote, following that film up with the 1979 cult hit The Warriors. He also wrote and directed Southern Comfort,...

Sylvester Stallone is the action star known for the Rocky and Rambo franchises, which delivered high-octane action for cinephiles. The actor wrote the first Rocky and became a star overnight as the film earned $225 million worldwide against an $860,000 budget. Stallone was nominated for Best Actor and Original Screenplay at the Oscars.

The film spawned the Rocky franchise which is still going strong. The actor also created the hugely successful Rambo franchise and The Expendables film. However, Stallone stated that he did not find any similarities between him and these iconic characters. He also mentioned that the only character he ever put details of himself into was that of a hitman.

Sylvester Stallone Says He Is Not Like Rocky or Rambo Sylvester Stallone in Rocky

The worldwide fame that Sylvester Stallone received when he starred as the underdog boxer Rocky Balboa in Rocky was unparalleled. The actor reportedly struggled to make...

Ah, the 1990s. Perhaps the peak of the moviegoing experience. Theaters consistently showed classics such as the special effects marvel "Jurassic Park," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Pulp Fiction," "Fargo," and "Titanic." The decade also featured an abundance of outstanding horror films like "The Sixth Sense," "Scream," "Misery," and "Interview with the Vampire," all boasting big-name stars and top-tier directors.

However, playing at the opposite end of the cineplex were thrillers you may have never heard about or skipped simply due to bad reviews or scathing word of mouth. Some of Hollywood's top talent attached themselves to such projects, thwarted by ornery critics or moviegoers seeking higher-end entertainment. That's a shame.

While there are undoubtedly plenty of terrible horror films from the 90s, the decade was also ripe with lower-tier entries that have aged surprisingly well. Many don't reset the bar established by esteemed pictures like "The Silence of the Lambs,...

Mark L. Lester's ultra-violent 1985 actioner "Commando" is entertainingly ridiculous and ridiculously entertaining. Few films of the era reflect on the ultra-violent military fantasies of Reagan's America better than "Commando," an irony to be sure, as it stars a massive Austrian actor. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a former Special Forces Colonel named John Matrix who is attempting to live a quiet life with his sweet daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano). When Jenny is kidnapped by a vengeful villain played by Dan Hedaya, it gives John the moral license to murder about a thousand people in a violent quest to rescue her. John Matrix shoots, explodes, cuts, stabs, and buzzsaw-frisbees his way through Hedaya's minions without a scratch, a military superman with untouchable skill and an unslaked bloodlust. 

The violence in "Commando" is horrifying and spectacular. Looking over the film's parental advisory on IMDb may sell the film better than any conventional advertisement.

One cannot understate the impact Martin Brest's crime comedy "Beverly Hills Cop" had on popular culture when it was released in 1984. Between "Cop," the 1983 comedy "Trading Places," and Walter Hill's 1982 buddy film "48 Hrs.," Eddie Murphy was suddenly one of the largest and most striking movie stars in the world. His glib delivery and willingness to be crass rattled cinemas to an astonishing degree, and audiences began flocking to see Murphy in just about anything. Brest's film was made for a mere $13 million and would rack up about $316 million worldwide. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards.

In the film, Murphy played Axel Foley, a Detroit-based detective who says he's going on vacation to Beverly Hills, but who is secretly investigating the death of a friend, unbeknownst to his bosses. The film involves a lot of Murphy's bafflement at the posh, unusual, upscale...

Eddie Murphy leads an exceptional cast in Candy Cane Lane, a holiday comedy all about family and the magic of Christmas. Tracee Ellis Ross, Genneya Walton, Thaddeus J. Mixson, and Madison Thomas deliver heartfelt performances alongside Murphy, bringing their characters to life in a hilarious and heartwarming way. In addition to the talented main cast, several big stars, including Jillian Bell and Nick Offerman, add comedic genius to the supporting characters, creating a delightful holiday adventure.

Eddie Murphy's magic-of-Christmas movie, Candy Cane Lane, is full of characters ready to have a great Holiday, and it took some exceptional actors to bring their stories to life. At its heart, the holiday comedy adventure is all about family, and the actors cast to play Murphy's loved ones were responsible for driving these themes home. Additionally, several big stars joined the cast of Candy Cane Lane, bringing their genius for comedic delivery to...

Updated with statement from Silver’s rep: Iconic producer Joel Silver has been fired from the forthcoming Amazon film Play Dirty, Deadline can confirm. While the decision reportedly stemmed from alleged verbal abuse on Silver’s part toward studio execs over creative differences, Amazon has declined to comment.

The first of a number of projects in the works at Amazon centered on the Parker crime novels by Donald E. Westlake, which were written under the pen name Richard Stark, Play Dirty was at one point supposed to star Robert Downey Jr., sources said, but while he’s no longer involved in that capacity, with Mark Wahlberg now attached to star, Downey remains aboard to produce for Team Downey and had left the project well ahead of the fallout with Silver. The project was set to reunite Silver with writer-director Shane Black following their work together on such titles as The Nice Guys, Predator,...

Eddie Murphy's return to the Beverly Hills Cop franchise after 30 years is due to his desire to redeem the series following the third film. A Beverly Hills Cop TV series pilot was shot with Murphy making a guest appearance as Axel Foley. However, the show was ultimately not produced. Murphy's recent streaming hits, such as Dolemite Is My Name, have contributed to the timing of Beverly Hills Cop 4 and attracted a strong supporting cast. This may be Murphy's final time reprising Axel, potentially ending the series on a high note.

It took Eddie Murphy 30 years to return to his most iconic character in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley - which might have been a good thing. Murphy's rise to stardom during the '80s was meteoric, where he first broke out on Saturday Night Live before starring in back-to-back hits like 48 Hrs, Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop.

Frank McRae was originally intended to play the role of Leon in Blade Runner, but Brion James ended up getting the part instead. Brion James' audition for the role of Leon impressed Ridley Scott, particularly because of his scary appearance after a recent car accident. Brion James' portrayal of Leon in Blade Runner launched his career and he became known for his villainous roles in other projects.

When doing casting for the iconic sci-fi film Blade Runner, director Ridley Scott had one person in mind for the role of Leon Kowalski, and it wasn't Brion James, so what happened to the original Leon? 1982's Blade Runner is based on the 1968 novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" It takes place in a futuristic 2019 and follows a man named Deckard who is tasked with retiring old androids called replicants, but who struggles to complete his job when he falls in love with a replicant named Rachael.