The Insider.com

For years it has been reported that Eddie Murphy planned to reprise his role as wisecracking cop Axel Foley in a fourth Beverly Hills Cop. But now the Tower Heist star and upcoming Oscar host says the movie isn't happening -- but he'd love to see it as a TV series.

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"They're not doing it," he tells Rolling Stone in a rare, extended print interview. "What I'm trying to do now is produce a TV show starring Axel Foley's son, and Axel is the chief of police now in Detroit."

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The Academy Award-nominated star explains that despite Hollywood's best efforts, the Beverly Hills Cop 4 screenplays just couldn't recapture lightning in a bottle.

"None of the movie scripts were right; it was trying to force the premise," he says. "If you have to force something, you shouldn't be doing it. It was always a rehash of the old thing. It was always wrong."

Murphy says that despite his intention of passing on the torch to a new generation of Cop, he would still make personal appearances on the show: "I'd do the pilot, show up here and there," he says.

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For those who may think Murphy has long lost his edge, he points out that his family film phase may be over and he's even considering going back to his stand-up roots.

"There's really no blueprint, but I'm trying to do some edgy stuff," he says. "I always tell people now that I'm a semiretired gentleman of leisure, and occasionally I'll go do some work to break the boredom up."

The new issue of Rolling Stone is on stands and available through Rolling Stone All Access on October 28th.