Tag: taylour-page

  • ‘The Toxic Avenger’ (2025) Interview: Kevin Bacon

    CZocB4jM

    2025’s ‘The Toxic Avenger’, which is a reboot of the 1984 cult classic and was directed by Macon Blair (‘Brothers’), is scheduled for release in theaters on August 29th.

    ONHy8weYYsZexyU7f3Yu66

    The film stars Peter Dinklage (‘Game of Thrones’) in the title role, as well as Jacob Tremblay (‘Room’), Taylour Page (‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’), Elijah Wood (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’), and Kevin Bacon (‘X-Men: First Class’).

    Kevin Bacon stars in 'The Toxic Avenger'.
    Kevin Bacon stars in ‘The Toxic Avenger’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with legendary actor Kevin Bacon about his work on ‘The Toxic Avenger’, the original movie and why he wanted to be involved with the reboot, his approach to playing Bob Garbinger and his relationship with his brother, working with Elijah Wood and director Macon Blair, and his own personal history with Moviefone.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video payer above to watch our interviews with Bacon, director Macon Blair, and producer Lloyd Kaufman.

    Related Article: San Diego Comic-Con 2025: ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Panel Brings Crazy Action

    Kevin Bacon as “Bob Garbinger” in the action, comedy, horror film, 'The Toxic Avenger', a Cineverse release. Photo courtesy of Yana Blajeva/Legendary Pictures.
    Kevin Bacon as “Bob Garbinger” in the action, comedy, horror film, ‘The Toxic Avenger’, a Cineverse release. Photo courtesy of Yana Blajeva/Legendary Pictures.

    Moviefone: To begin with, were you a fan of the original movie and why did you want to be a part of this new version?

    Kevin Bacon: I don’t know if I was not really the right age or whatever, but I didn’t really know that much about the original. But of course, I went back and not only watched the original, but also of did a Troma deep dive and really loved it. I mean, really when you think about it, it’s a combination of independent filmmaking and popcorn filmmaking. Which are two things that I really like, but a lot of times they don’t live in the same movie. You know what I mean? Because these oftentimes are Oscar contenders or dramas, that kind of stuff, and popcorn movies are big, flashy and cost a lot of money. So, to me, to hit that sweet spot is something that not a lot of people have done. That’s the thing that I really admired about the whole world of Troma and came to admire. I also knew Macon Blair but didn’t really know him personally. I knew his work and I thought that he had a good take on this. Clearly, Pete Dinklage was great. I mean, it’s a great cast so it was kind of a no brainer.

    MF: Can you talk about your approach to playing Bob Garbinger and why you decided to play him that specific way? Was that how he was described in the script, or did you find the character improvising on set?

    KB: We did do a lot of improvising, although I think that a lot of what’s in there is what Macon wrote, which is fantastic. But he is a guy that is very collaborative and very interested in improvising in terms of how Bob would be manifested in terms of the hair and the clothing and the whole thing. That was, again, ideas that we bounced back and forth. When you really get into the weeds on something like that, you forget what came from what. I would have to go back and read the script to see what was in there, but I do know that I was given free rein. Anything can happen here. So, I thought a lot about televangelists. I’ve thought about today’s billionaires who oftentimes have very larger than life characters. In the old days, the billionaires were the very quiet guys behind the closed doors and in back rooms and that’s not really the case anymore. They’re more like personalities in your face. So, to sort of embrace that and just push things as far as I could, knowing that hopefully Macon was going to protect me from embarrassing myself too much.

    Elijah Wood as “Fritz Garbinger” in the action, comedy, horror film, 'The Toxic Avenger', a Cineverse release. Photo courtesy of Yana Blajeva/Legendary Pictures.
    Elijah Wood as “Fritz Garbinger” in the action, comedy, horror film, ‘The Toxic Avenger’, a Cineverse release. Photo courtesy of Yana Blajeva/Legendary Pictures.

    MF: Can you talk about Bob’s relationship with his brother Fritz, and what was it like working with Elijah Wood?

    KB: I mean, I didn’t know Elijah’s whole look and everything. Of course, I had seen drawings, so I kind of knew where I was going, but to see him come out and embody that, it was so great. They’ve got this very abusive codependent relationship, but, again, just funny. And Elijah, we’d not worked together before and he was very focused, hilarious and just a lot of fun.

    MF: Can you talk about your experience working with director Macon Blair and at this point in your career, what is it like for you to work with a new generation of filmmakers?

    KB: Look, I mean, I am a huge fan of the movies and I get especially excited when I see someone who is doing something right out of the gate or in the early stages. I mean, I’ll give you an example. I saw a movie years ago called ‘Slither’ and I thought, “Wow, this is well done.” No one’s going to be walking the red carpet at the Oscars for ‘Slither’, but I can tell that this is an excellent filmmaker, and I got a chance to do James Gunn‘s next movie (‘Super’). James comes from the Troma world of very small independent productions and not completely outside of the tone of ‘Toxic Avenger’. Then the next movie James did was ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Just recently I reached out to the guys that directed ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ just because I want to talk to people that are making movies. I’m not dismissive of things that are the genre because I feel like there’s a lot of genius that’s kind of come out of that. I mean, in his own way (Steven) Spielberg was a genre director when he started, so that’s an exciting thing for me. I’m often hoping to get in on the ground floor with someone like James Gunn or John Watts, who I worked with on ‘Cop Car’, which was a similar situation with Macon on this film. What usually happens is they lose my number, all of them. They become much more famous and in demand than I am and then suddenly I can’t get in touch with them.

    Director Macon Blair at the San Diego Comic-Con premiere of 'The Toxic Avengers'. Photo: Cineverse.
    Director Macon Blair at the San Diego Comic-Con premiere of ‘The Toxic Avengers’. Photo: Cineverse.

    MF: Finally, Moviefone has been proud to partner with ‘The Toxic Avenger’ for this new release and explore the nostalgia of both brands. What is your history with Moviefone? Do you remember calling for showtimes back in the day?

    KB: 100%. Oh, my God, yes! Yeah, of course I called up Moviefone. It was amazing. With a little bit of work, I could probably do the voice because it was just such the classic announcer voice. “Hello, welcome to Moviefone.” Or do you want me to be Bob Garbinger? “Hello, this is Bob Garbinger. Welcome to Moviefone. Press one for ‘Toxic Avenger’.”

    MF: Just so you know, you can call 802-377-FILM now and hear Peter Dinklage as the Toxic Avenger doing the Mr. Moviefone voice.

    KB: That’s cool. I got to do that.

    gMUigPJC

    What is the plot of ‘The Toxic Avenger’?

    When a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son (Jacob Tremblay), his friends, and his community. In a world where greed runs rampant… justice is best served radioactive.

    Who is in the cast of ‘The Toxic Avenger’?

    • Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze / the Toxic Avenger (voice)
    • Luisa Guerreiro as the Toxic Avenger (suit performer)
    • Jacob Tremblay as Wade Gooze
    • Taylour Paige as J.J. Doherty
    • Kevin Bacon as Bob Garbinger
    • Elijah Wood as Fritz Garbinger
    • Sarah Niles as Mayor Togar
    • Julia Davis as Kissy Sturnevan
    • Julian Kostov as Budd Berserk
    • David Yow as Guthrie Stockins
    • Macon Blair as Dennis
    • Rebecca O’Mara as Shelly Gooze
    • Jonny Coyne as Thad Barkabus
    • Jane Levy as Cheerful Insurance Representative (voice)
    Luisa Guerreiro as “Toxie” in the action, comedy, horror film, 'The Toxic Avenger,' a Cineverse release. Photo courtesy of Yana Blajeva/Legendary Pictures.
    Luisa Guerreiro as “Toxie” in the action, comedy, horror film, ‘The Toxic Avenger,’ a Cineverse release. Photo courtesy of Yana Blajeva/Legendary Pictures.

    List of Movies and TV Shows in ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Franchise:

    Buy Tickets: ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Movies On Amazon

     

  • ‘Brothers’ Interview: Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage

    HcOifNK7

    Opening in select theaters on October 10th before premiering on Prime Video October 17th is the new comedy ‘Brothers’, which was directed by Max Barbakow (‘Palm Springs’).

    The new film stars Josh Brolin (‘Avengers: Endgame’, ‘Deadpool 2’), Peter Dinklage (‘Game of Thrones’, ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’), Taylour Paige (‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’), Glenn Close (‘Fatal Attraction’), and Oscar-winners Brendan Fraser (‘The Whale’) and Marisa Tomei (‘My Cousin Vinny’).

    Related Article: Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis Talk ‘The Thicket’ and Making a Western

    (L to R) Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage star in 'Brothers'.
    (L to R) Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage star in ‘Brothers’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage about their work on ‘Brothers’, how the project came together, playing brothers, their relationship with their mother, working with the rest of the cast, and Brolin’s intimate scene with an Orangutan.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    (L to R) Jady (Peter Dinklage), Cath (Glenn Close), and Moke (Josh Brolin) in 'Brothers'. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.
    (L to R) Jady (Peter Dinklage), Cath (Glenn Close), and Moke (Josh Brolin) in ‘Brothers’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Peter, can you talk about how this project came together and what it was like playing Josh Brolin’s brother?

    Peter Dinklage: Well, we all created this mad world together. I mean, (screenwriter) Macon Blair, executed it, as in his brilliant way as he does, so it never felt like, you’re up for this next movie and here’s the screenplay. It was more organic than that, with Josh and me and Macon. So, I don’t remember sitting down and reading the screenplay for the first time. In a way, it just seeped into my DNA. So, Josh and I wanted to make a comedy, we wanted to play brothers, and we just had this somewhat flimsy idea of wanting to make this. Everything followed suit, which we were really shocked and surprised that people fell for it. Suddenly we have Glenn Close playing our mom. It was incredible. But I just loved making this movie. Let us entertain you and whatever madcap way it comes about, here we go. I love just breaking the rules of that normal, traditional process, what people think you need to do, the steps you need to take to make a movie. It’s not necessarily true. That’s how you get Glenn Close.

    MF: Josh, can you talk about the dynamic between these two brothers and what was it like working on that relationship with Peter?

    Josh Brolin: I mean, I think when we pitched this idea, we pitched it to several different places. Because Peter and I didn’t really know each other before, that dynamic and that volley started to surface while we were doing that. I think we were figuring out the movie as we were pitching the movie, even though we had a general base idea. I mean, it all came out of people saying, “God, you and Dinklage look alike. You guys should do a movie together. Look at how big your heads are.” Then, me calling Peter and saying, “Hey, do you want to do this thing?” He was like, “Yeah,” immediately. Then you go, “Okay. So, we have this blank canvas. What do we do?” You bring in Macon Blair and you start throwing around ideas and sitting around breakfast tables and saying, “What if it was this? What happened in your family that’s interesting?” What Macon was so good at is just there’s this umbrella of absurdity over it all. How absurd it is in the family dynamic. The family dynamic is absurd anyway, so what about those movies that used to really exploit that and that we grew up on? ‘Cannonball Run’, Peter mentioned earlier, or ‘48 HRS‘, or ‘Midnight Run’. Whether it’s family members or not, what is the absurdity of how we behave toward each other? I think that that’s what this spring-boarded from.

    (L to R) Jady (Peter Dinklage) and Cath (Glenn Close) in 'Brothers'. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.
    (L to R) Jady (Peter Dinklage) and Cath (Glenn Close) in ‘Brothers’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    MF: Peter, can you talk about how the dynamic between these two brothers changes when their mother arrives and what it was like having Glenn Close play your mom?

    PD: Glenn Close is a monster. I highly advise not getting anywhere within 20 yards of her. She’s one of the greats. It was insane to be finally working with her. I never knew it would happen, but I was kicking myself every day. I like the idea that Macon had of, I’m grifting Josh’s character just to get the family back together. I’m conning him. I’m pretending we’re going one direction, but it’s to get back to our mother, who we both love, but it’s a complicated relationship, as it is with most of our moms. But really, my character is sort of the glue that’s trying to put the family back together, which is lovely and sweet. But at the end of the day, he also wants to get something out of it. Get the riches. He’s got dollar signs in his eyes. He can’t help that. But it was so much fun making this movie. We were down in Atlanta for a couple of months during COVID, where everybody was masked except for the actors, so you play a game of, what does the lower half of people’s face look like? It’s like Bizarro when you finally see them without the mask. We all lived through that, and it was just fun in that time to make a comedy as zany as this with these incredible people. I think it was just such a soothing bomb to what we were all going through. You don’t want to make a movie about COVID during COVID. You want to make a movie like this.

    MF: Josh, can you talk about your character’s relationship with his wife, and how his brother’s return and the journey they go on together jeopardizes his marriage?

    JB: What it does is it challenges his loyalty to his family, which always comes up. In my own family, I think you spend time with your family and there’s irritations and you leave, and you go, “Okay. We had dinner together. I’m not going to do that again for two years if I can help it.” Yet two weeks later you’re back. You know what I mean? You can’t say no. There’s just something that is enmeshed that you can’t break. I think Jady knows that. When he comes and he has this manipulation with his mom and they get together to get Moke back on the team, because he’s the guy who’s the great safe-cracker, and it’s just once that innate thing happens, you can’t let go of it. It’s almost like an addiction. It’s a weird addiction factor with your family. I love watching that dynamic, especially between Peter and me.

    (L to R) Moke (Josh Brolin) and Jady (Peter Dinklage) in 'Brothers'. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.
    (L to R) Moke (Josh Brolin) and Jady (Peter Dinklage) in ‘Brothers’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    MF Josh, there was one scene in this movie that I thought was one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a film in a longtime, and that was the scene where you appear with an Orangutan. Can you talk about shooting that sequence, and did you know right away that it would be so hilarious?

    JB: I knew it was a winner when everybody read it. I know that everybody who read the script mentioned that scene. Again, it was the first scene that they all mentioned. It’s one of those things that you start to get nervous about doing it because if they love reading it so much, is this going to translate? But listen, we had fun with it and whatever it ended up being, it was 1000% conviction. For better or worse, we lent ourselves to what was written.

    MF: Peter, you also have a very funny scene where you “rage dance” with Marisa Tomei. Was that scene improvised or in the script?

    PD: The tone of this movie, it’s so crazy, that to have a traditional sex scene just seemed like to fly in the face of the rest of the movie. So, to have these oddball people, these prison pen-pals, dance to hardcore speed metal, that’s their most intimate moment. That’s their most intimate thing they can think of, it’s so Macon Blair, our writer, and me and Marisa, it’s just such in the spirit of the film to have that juxtaposed with the sexier scene of Josh and the Orangutan. Literally Marisa and I didn’t need an intimacy coordinator, they did, Josh and the Orangutan. You know what I’m saying? So, that’s the fun part of it.

    (L to R) Jady (Peter Dinklage) and Farful (Brendan Fraser) in 'Brothers'. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.
    (L to R) Jady (Peter Dinklage) and Farful (Brendan Fraser) in ‘Brothers’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    MF: Finally, Peter, can you talk about the personal rivalry between Jady and Farful, and what was it like working with Brendan Fraser?

    PD: One of the nicest human beings on this planet is Brendan Fraser. He had just come from the movie, ‘The Whale’, so I think he had to get something out of his system. He had to get off that couch and run around in Atlanta with us. You need a bad guy, and nothing better than a bad guy than a crooked cop trying to grift me, the anti-hero that is Jady. I think he screamed all his dialogue. I sort of was in scenes with him and he was so pitched at 11, there were times where I was like, “Is this going to work? Is this too much?” But that’s the genius of Brendan Fraser because it worked perfectly. He knew that, as an actor, and it’s always difficult to tell if it’s going to match the rest of the tone of the movie. Our movie is so all over the place tonally, that Max (Barbakow), our director, just made it all work. It was incredible. But Brendan is incredible. He’s so much fun to work with and he made it so much more fun, those scenes of torture and humiliation.

    DjhnzqpuGIjvC2aQS19kb3

    What is the plot of ‘Brothers’?

    A reformed criminal’s (Josh Brolin) attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother (Peter Dinklage) on a road trip for the score of a lifetime. Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother (Glenn Close) along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Brothers’?

    • Josh Brolin as Moke Munger
    • Peter Dinklage as Jady Munger
    • Glenn Close as Cath Munger
    • Brendan Fraser as Farful
    • Taylour Paige as Abby Munger-Jacobson
    • M. Emmet Walsh as Judge Farful
    • Jennifer Landon as Young Cath
    • Marisa Tomei
    (L to R) Cath (Glenn Close), Moke (Josh Brolin), and Jady (Peter Dinklage) in 'Brothers'. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.
    (L to R) Cath (Glenn Close), Moke (Josh Brolin), and Jady (Peter Dinklage) in ‘Brothers’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    List of Josh Brolin Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Josh Brolin Movies On Amazon

     

  • Movie Review: ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’

    Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    (L to R) Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.

    Premiering on Netflix July 3rd, ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ is the realization of the long-in-development new sequel for the ‘Cop’ franchise. After more false starts than a car with a banana in its tailpipe (including a failed TV pilot), Paramount sold off the rights to the movie series starring Eddie Murphy as wisecracking detective Axel Foley.

    Related Article: The 30 Best Eddie Murphy Movies of All Time!

    Initial Thoughts

    Bria Murphy as Officer Renee Minnick and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    (L to R) Bria Murphy as Officer Renee Minnick and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix ©2023.

    Feeling in some ways like fellow legacy sequel ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (it even starts with Murphy’s Foley still in action, still breaking rules and managing to stay on the job thanks to leverage from a friend in high places much like Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell), yet never quite rising to the heights of that box office barnstormer, ‘Axel F’ nevertheless manages to walk the nostalgia beat without relying on it so heavily as to be overused.

    It’s certainly good to see Murphy back actually enjoying himself in the role (which certainly didn’t seem to be the case for a lot of 1994’s ‘Beverly Hills Cop III’), and the movie around him, though it can’t compete with Martin Brest’s 1984 original or Tony Scott’s 1987 sequel, should easily slip into third place in most fans’ lists, which is more than can be said for some legacy sequels such as the recent ‘Exorcist’ release or ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’.

    Script and Direction

    Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    (L to R) Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.

    Written by Will Beall and Tom Gormican, the script manages to bring back many of the stalwarts of the franchise, yet also combines them with a story that acknowledges where they would be now and some modern attitudes to policing from characters including Joseph Gordon–Levitt’s Bobby Abbott. And even more welcome, it lets Murphy be funny again, giving the season performer room to improvise and feel like the Axel that fans remember. It also smartly comments on the franchise’s past, including a slightly snarky (but entirely earned) shot at the third movie, and a moment where Axel considers putting on a voice and playing a character to get what he wants, but ditches it, tired of the same old routine.

    Mark Molloy is a commercial director making his feature debut here, and the style he’s chosen certainly fits with the look of the original trilogy (nodding more towards Scott’s perhaps). It doesn’t announce itself too much and he also lets Murphy breathe as the main character, while finding solid work for the whole cast.

    Performances:

    ‘Axel F’ has a solid ensemble supporting Murphy, and both the returning veterans and new franchise faces have a good role to play.

    Eddie Murphy as Detective Axel Foley

    Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.

    One of Murphy’s most famous characters, and the one that made him a star, Axel Foley is clearly a place that the actor feels comfortable in (even if he hasn’t always shown that). For ‘Axel F’, he’s on good form, wrangling the motor-mouthed Axel from the original two movies with the more laidback, mature version.

    Here he’s faced with old friends in a story that services both him, and them, well.

    Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood

    Though Judge Reinhold’s Billy (the only other person besides Murphy to appear in all the movies) is somewhat sidelined for a chunk of the storyline, he’s also recognizably Billy –– a littler greyer, a little more wizened, but still the enthusiastic friend and handy with a gun.

    John Ashton as Chief John Taggart, Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    (L to R) John Ashton as Chief John Taggart, Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and Judge Reinhold as Billy Rosewood in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix ©2024.

    John Ashton as John Taggart

    Now a Chief in the Beverly Hills police force (despite, er, being mentioned as retired when John Ashton couldn’t reprise the role in the third movie, though that is addressed here in dialogue), Ashton’s Taggart is still the old grump, even more so now he can actually count as an old grump.

    Neither Ashton nor Reinhold have lots to do, but they’re used as much as they were in the original films –– solid support for the leading man, with entertaining stories of their own.

    Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders

    Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    (L to R) Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix © 2024.

    Axel’s estranged daughter is now a hotshot but empathetic lawyer, and in some ways more a chip off the old block than she’d care to admit. Taylour Paige plays well off of Murphy and leans into the role of the daughter who harbors anger towards the man who hasn’t been in touch with her but warms up to the idea of having Axel back in her life. It’s a well-used plotline but doesn’t feel tired.

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott

    Joseph Gordon Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    (L to R) Joseph Gordon Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix © 2024.

    Gordon-Levitt, like Paige, has a fun energy in Murphy’s company, and stands as a watchable character in his own right.

    Final Thoughts

    Kevin Bacon as Captain Grant and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'
    (L to R) Kevin Bacon as Captain Grant and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.’ Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.

    There can be a real risk sticking to the playbook with a legacy sequel –– you can be seen as reheating old bits in a desperate attempt to entertain fans of the franchise while trying to attract new ones.

    But the formula functions at an entertaining level with ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’, which targets what works about the franchise and finds organic ways to insert new characters and plot angles. Most importantly, it feels like a ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ movie made by people who respect the previous outings.

    ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

    fImsuXnDAInsRdcT2fukm2

    What’s the Plot of ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’?

    Detroit Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his estranged daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened, she and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.

    Who is in the Cast of ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’?

    • Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley
    • Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott
    • Kevin Bacon as Captain Cade Grant
    • Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders
    • Judge Reinhold as Lieutenant William “Billy” Rosewood
    • John Ashton as John Taggart
    • Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman
    • Bronson Pinchot as Serge
    Judge Reinhold, Eddie Murphy and John Ashton attend the 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' World Premiere at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on June 20, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
    (L to R) Judge Reinhold, Eddie Murphy and John Ashton attend the ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ World Premiere at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on June 20, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Netflix.

    Movies in the ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Movies On Amazon

    QeIQ1Gq8
  • Bill Skarsgård to Play Pennywise for ‘It’ TV Prequel

    Bill Skarsgård in 2017's 'It'.
    Bill Skarsgård in 2017’s ‘It’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Preview:

    • Bill Skarsgård is slapping on his Pennywise make-up again.
    • He’ll appear in the ‘It’ prequel series on Max.
    • Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo and Chris Chalk are among the cast.

    Given the success of the two ‘It’ movie adaptations, it was somehow inevitable that the story would continue somehow. And indeed, a TV prequel –– with the working title of ‘Welcome to Derry’, after the town in the movies and Stephen King’s book –– was announced as in the works last year.

    And now a key element of the movie is returning, as Bill Skarsgård is ready to head to clown town again, reprising his role as demonic entity Pennywise.

    T562pgNp0DOCtF1uiWIbU1

    What’s the story of the ‘It’ prequel?

    Bill Skarsgård in 2017's 'It'.
    Bill Skarsgård in 2017’s ‘It’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

    ‘Welcome to Derry’, or whatever it ends up being titled, is also based on King’s ‘It’ book, with the movies’ director Andy Muschietti working with producer/sister Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs (who revised the ‘It: Chapter Two’ script and was a co-producer on that movie) to devise a new story that takes place before the events of the movies. Brad Kane and Fuchs are running the show, and the cameras have been rolling since April.

    Andy Muschietti is directing four episodes of a planned nine-episode season.

    How Pennywise fits into the story remains to be seen, but we predict he’ll be up to his old tricks terrifying (and killing) people.

    Who is in the ‘It’ prequel series?

    Jovan Adepo plays Sidney Palmer in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jovan Adepo plays Sidney Palmer in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    The cast for the series already includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar. And while Skarsgård previously indicated he wasn’t sure if he’d be involved with the series, it sounds like he was just waiting for a deal to be locked in.

    What has Skarsgård been saying about his prior Pennywise experience?

    Bill Skarsgård stars in 'John Wick: Chapter 4.'
    Bill Skarsgård stars in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4.’

    The actor has been talking recently about an uncomfortable early experience with the role of Pennywise, revealing that he wasn’t sure about Warner Bros.’ idea to showcase his look as the character a year before the first movie itself arrived.

    Here’s what he told Esquire:

    “When you are 26, you don’t feel young at all, but now, looking back at it, I was a kid. [The studio] did a thing that I felt was kind of mean. It was fairly early on in my career to take on something that had so many eyeballs and expectations on it. I was so incredibly nervous to start this job, and then the Internet is having so many hateful opinions on the weird, strange look of the thing.”

    Related Article: Bill Skarsgård Talks ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ and Working with Keanu Reeves

    When will the ‘It’ prequel series be on screens?

    While HBO/Max haven’t confirmed an exact launch date for the series, it should be on TV in 2025 (surely nearer Halloween since that feels like the right time for an ‘It’ project).

    Bill Skarsgård in 2017's 'It'.
    Bill Skarsgård in 2017’s ‘It’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Other Movies and TV Shows in the ‘It’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘It’ Movies On Amazon

    fUNE0Oab