Looking back at the history of Beverly Hills Cop’s production, the choice of the lead actor is a huge pivot point that could have delivered a way different movie. If the original plans had panned out, Eddie Murphy wouldn’t have been the lead in director Martin Brest’s action-comedy hit, which may have robbed the film of its iconic status as a huge ‘80s hit. Thankfully, Brest had a rationale that worked with the project’s producers and execs, despite some interesting reasons for trying to stymy Murphy’s casting.
In a retrospective interview with Variety, the Meet Joe Black director spoke more about securing the SNL veteran for his 1984 classic. The next step in the genesis of Paramount’s blockbuster hit came after original star Sylvester Stallone left the project to make Cobra. With Eddie Murphy now in the cards, Martin Brest laid out this story about why his collaborators were so gun-shy about the matter:
