CBS nabs its 'Beverly Hills Cop'

As is often lamented, it's been a while since Eddie Murphy starred in a film worth its marketing manpower. So when it was announced that CBS and "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan were teaming with the former go-to funnyman on a pilot reboot of "Beverly Hills Cop," the news felt like something of a small victory.

 

Bing: "Beverly Hills Cop" | Brandon T. Jackson | Eddie Murphy

 

Now, after much presumed hemming and hawing, Ryan and Murphy have found their principal lead. Entertainment Weekly confirms that Brandon T. Jackson (known primarily as Robert Downey Jr.'s comic foil in "Tropic Thunder") will take the role of Aaron Foley, policeman son of Murphy's rabble-rousing Axel from the original films.

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Murphy is even reputed to appear in the pilot alongside Jackson, and Ryan will be writing the script. This would weirdly mark the second occasion that Jackson has played the on-screen kin of an iconic comedian this decade. Although hopefully, his collaboration with Murphy for "Beverly Hills Cop" 2.0 will prove significantly more hilarious and suspenseful than his inauspicious pairing with Martin Lawrence in "Big Momma's House: Like Father, Like Son."