What happens when a comedian’s laugh becomes the punchline?

Beverly Hills Cop is a beloved franchise, and new movie Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, banks on every nostalgic reference we love about the original two ‘80s films (despite the threequel misfire). One thing that’s noticeably missing, however, is Murphy’s iconic laugh, and it’s been absent from his work for quite some time. Now we know why, and honestly, the reason is kind of a bummer.

When I brought up the laugh during our interview for Axel F, Eddie Murphy was very willing to tell me the whole story, and it went as follows:

That was my real laugh. And then I realized, ‘Oh, they’re laughing at my laugh.’ And then it became like, you know, all I have to do is do that laugh and they would laugh. And it was like, ‘Oh, no.’ And I really made myself stop laughing. Like, I don’t laugh like that anymore. It’s a strange thing as a human being, to have to adjust something that is natural. I can’t laugh like that.

It says a lot about Eddie Murphy’s comedic integrity that he would be bothered by his laugh being the punchline. He is, after all, one of the most iconic comedians of all time, and I see how this would feel diminished by being reduced to a guy who makes funny noises. As such, you won’t hear his iconic laugh in the new flick.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F obviously has plenty to offer without the chuckle, and given that the 63-year-old actor has been playing the character since he was 21, Axel Foley was bound to see some changes.

Not too many changes, though! All of the OG cast returned for Axel F, including John Ashton and Judge Reinhold. Reinhold and Murphy have even stayed friends through all of these decades, so returning to form was not too far of a stretch. Axel Foley has always been one of Eddie Murphy’s funniest characters, with or without the laugh, and seeing him return is nothing but an absolute delight.

Eddie Murphy has stayed pretty relevant in pop culture as of late, hopping on the modern craze of reboots and sequels. This new Beverly Hills Cop comes after the sequel Coming 2 America, and he’s reportedly joined another major franchise, Pink Panther. He’s also been tossing around ideas for a remake of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, so it seems he’ll be riding this nostalgia train for some time.

You can rewatch Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop II with a Netflix subscription right now, and Axel F will be hitting the streamer on July 3! You may miss the comedian’s laugh, but don’t worry, as you’ll laugh plenty enough for the both of you. In the meantime, check out our interview at the top of this article to hear his hilarious and bizarre story about a stranger thinking the laugh was created with computers. Of course, keep it right here at CinemaBlend to hear about everything coming up on the 2024 movies schedule.