Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Summary

• Eddie Murphy reunites with familiar faces in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, adding Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, and Kevin Bacon to the cast.
• Not all original characters return, with some killed off or retired, such as Inspector Todd and Lt. Bogomil.
• Some actors like Lisa Eilbacher and Theresa Randle, who played significant roles in previous films, do not return for Axel F.

Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F unites the comedy legend with both returning and new characters for yet another case in California. All 4 Beverly Hills Cop movies have now featured several familiar faces, and while Murphy is the center of this cinematic universe, it’s his relationships with the others that elevates things. Foley bounces off others, clashes with them, criticizes them, and without them, he wouldn’t have the same energy.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F‘s cast has added Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, and Kevin Bacon in prominent roles, with the rest of the principle stars returning from previous franchise movies. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton reunited after the latter sat out Beverly Hills Cop III, Paul Reiser also similarly returns after one absence, and Bronson Pinchot is back for a third outing as fan favorite Serge. But not every character who made an impact in the original Beverly Hills Cop movies returns in Axel F…

5 Inspector Douglas Todd

Played By: Gil Hill

Before being cast in Beverly Hills Cop as Axel Foley’s hair-trigger-tempered boss, Gil Hill was a real-life cop, rising up to the rank of Inspector in Homicide before moving on to a political career in Detroit. His only acting roles came in the first three Beverly Hills Cop movies, and he passed on other opportunities.

Todd’s hairdryer tirades were the stuff of legend, and there was a genuine sense that for all of his bravado and rule-bending, Foley was genuinely scared of his Inspector.

Why Todd Didn’t Return

Sadly, Hill died on February 29, 2016 having appeared in all three of the first movies. His character was killed off in 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III, prompting Foley’s third trip to Beverly Hills, to investigate criminal links to Disney World rip-off Wonderworld.

4 Andrew Bogomil

Played By: Ronny Cox

When Axel Foley first meets Lt Andrew Bogomil in Beverly Hills Cop, he’s a by-the-book officer, but he proves himself open to hearing Foley’s theory about criminal kingpin and art-dealer Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff). His approach to policing clashes with Foley’s, but by the end, he too bends the rules to protect Foley.

Bogomil was the only surviving Beverly Hills PD employee who returned after the first movie, with the entire staff – including stick-in-the-mud detective pairing Foster and McCabe (Art Kimbro and Joel Bailey) moved on after the first movie.

Why Bogomil Didn’t Return

Bogomil doesn’t return in Beverly Hills Cop III, and no explanation is offered for why. Like John Ashton’s Taggart he could well have retired, as Billy Rosewood was promoted to second in command of the department. Cox was intended to be in Beverly Hills Cop III, but he told AV Club years later that “They wanted me to be in Beverly Hills Cop III, but… I read the script.”

Cox is still acting, but doesn’t appear in Axel F, and even if he was asked, his role is taken by Taggart (John Ashton), who is in charge of the police department when Foley returns, making Bogomil redundant. It’s a shame he didn’t have a chance for at least a small cameo, but there’s always Beverly Hills Cop 5.

Jan Bogomil (Alice Adair), his daughter, also appears in Beverly Hills Cop II for a single appearance, and like her father, didn’t return for the trilogy ender.

3 Jon Flint

Played By: Héctor Elizondo

In Taggart’s absence (due to John Ashton’s scheduling conflict), Héctor Elizondo’s Jon Flint came into Beverly Hills Cop III as Billy Rosewood’s new partner. He also had ties to villain Ellis DeWald, as his friend. Flint’s role was always intended to be played by Taggart, but was rewritten when Ashton couldn’t return.

Why Flint Didn’t Return

Narratively-speaking, Flint’s role wasn’t necessary in Axel F. Billy Rosewood has left the force to be a private investigator, and Taggart is the boss. Pretty much every other named cop in the sequel is dirty, and Jon Flint simply wouldn’t have fit. Elizondo continues to act, having most recently appeared in Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie in 2023.

2 Janice Perkins

Played By: Theresa Randle

In Beverly Hills Cop III, Theresa Randle is brought in as a comedy romantic foil to Axel Foley. She’s an employee at Wonderworld, and is very openly attracted to Murphy’s hero and flirts with him several times. By the end of the movie, with DeWald killed off, Axel and Janice start a relationship.

Why Janice Didn’t Return

Randle played a part in another legacy sequel, Bad Boys For Life, in 2023 having not appeared in a role for 10 years previous to that. She was then subsequently recast for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and has seemingly all-but retired. Axel F fails to answer who the mother of Axel’s daughter is, and Janice would have been a smart choice, given her part in the third movie.

1 Jeannette “Jenny” Summers

Played By: Lisa Eilbacher

In the first Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley’s two childhood friends Jenny and Mikey (James Russo) play pivotal rules in bringing the Detroit cop west. She gets Mikey a job as a security guard, and when he’s murdered, Jenny teams up with Axel to investigate the truth, putting herself in the firing line of her boss Maitland.

Jenny was initially intended to be a romantic interest for Axel when Sylvester Stallone was cast.

Why Jenny Didn’t Return

Arguably the strangest of all the missing characters from every Beverly Hills Cop sequel, Jenny was supposed to be Axel Foley’s childood friend, but didn’t matter enough for him to reconnect with her when he returned to the city.

Despite the obvious set-up to bring Jenny back (particularly with Bronson Pinchot’s Serge making his third appearance), Jenny doesn’t appear in Axel F. Lisa Eilbacher retired from acting in 1995, so presumably wouldn’t have been available to return even if asked.