1984 was a wild year in cinema history. Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom, Karate Kid, Beverly Hills Cop and Footloose are a handful of titles that made up the box office’s top ten films that year, and perhaps by coincidence, all of them have recently seen a reboot or a sequel featuring the original stars. That is, all of them except for one, as Kevin Bacon has yet to reprise Ren McCormack from Footloose. I asked him if he was going to follow that 1984 trend, and he had an interesting take on whether or not a new Footloose “makes sense.”
Here’s another fun coincidence about this iconic collection of nostalgia-inducing films: while Kevin Bacon hasn’t returned as Ren, he just joined his former competition in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. When I mentioned that the trend indicates Footloose is next, he said this:
(Ren is) not coming back. I mean, they did do another Footloose. I don’t think a lot of people saw it, but they did do another Footloose. To me, I’m not that interested in… I don’t know. I think that this one (Beverly Hills Cop) makes a lot more sense.
OK, so he threw a little shade at the 2011 Footloose reboot, but he is right. I didn’t know the film existed until he told me. To his point, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F does make a lot more sense as a sequel, but only because it was done well. Our official Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F review mentions that it’s “way better than you would expect,” and critics have been sending the film plenty of love. This isn’t a given for the franchise, as we’ll never forget the 1994 Beverly Hills Cop III misfire, but thankfully Jerry Bruckheimer and co. really pulled this one off. Now, with the film available to people with a Netflix subscription, it’s time to see what the audience at large thinks.
Also, to Kevin Bacon’s point, Footloose is largely considered to be one of his best movies. It’s not in franchise territory like Beverly Hills Cop, so maybe it’s best to keep this one sacred and not tarnish the name of Ren McCormack. After all, dancing is legal now, so where would they go? His Axel F costar Joseph Gordon-Levitt mentioned that the Footloose sequel’s lack of success is due to its lack of Bacon, and he’s definitely right. However, he also said there’s “less pressure” in somebody else’s franchise, so maybe he’s just looking out for Kevin Bacon. Check out the delightful exchange between the two actors at the top of this article, and also watch our interviews with the full cast, including Eddie Murphy.
You can see Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix right now! As for future updates on what’s hitting the box office in 2024, keep it right here at CinemaBlend.