BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Perhaps hoping for a career saver, Eddie Murphy has signed on to reprise the 1984 role that launched his career in the fourth installment of "Beverly Hills Cop."

    Twenty-three years later Paramount Pictures has given the go-ahead, the studio said on Thursday. Brett Ratner, the filmmaker behind the similarly themed "Rush Hour" movies starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, is in negotiations to direct the latest "Beverly Hills Cop" adventure, a Paramount spokesman said.

    According to Daily Variety, it was Murphy, 47, who approached the Viacom Inc-owned studio about reviving the film series in which he plays a Detroit police detective, Axel Foley, who ends up chasing crooks in Beverly Hills, California.

    The original 1984 film and its two sequels, the last of which opened in 1994, collectively grossed more than 735 million U.S. dollars in theaters worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The first movie alone took in over 316 million dollars globally. The film spawned two sequels in 1987 and 1994, respectively.

    The decision to make "Beverly Hills Cop IV" follows Paramount's success with the revival of its "Indiana Jones" franchise after 19 years. The fourth film in that series, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," opened last Thursday and grossed nearly 152 million dollars in its first five days in domestic release.

    Murphy will next be seen in the comedy "Meet Dave," slated for a July 2008 opening. He recently wrapped shooting on the comedy "NowhereLand," alongside Thomas Haden Church.

    (Agencies)