... And you thought the announcement of Beverly Hills Cop IV meant Eddie Murphy was returning to his old potty mouth days. Well, think again, movie fans. The director who ruined the X-Men franchise and the studio that nearly ruined the Indiana Jones franchise is about to ruin the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Unless the third one already did that (I actually skipped it, so I'm unsure). Brett Ratner, who is signed on to helm the return of Axel Foley (Murphy), told MTV Movies Blog the following bit of sacrilege: "10-year-old kids, 12-year-old kids don't really know the old 'Beverly Hills Cop.' So it's an opportunity to make it new for kids. The same way it felt for me watching 'Beverly Hills Cop' when I was a kid, that's what I want to do for kids today."

Except that when you were a kid, Brett, a movie like Beverly Hills Cop could be made and marketed for all ages despite its R rating. Plus you were 15 when the original came out. Not 10 or 12. Me, I was 7, and I saw it in the theater. And I saw the second one, also R-rated, in the theater at the age of 10. So, I understand that it's fine to let the wee ones see them. But, realistically, you can't make another R-rated BHC and publicly say it's for kids nor can you make a PG or PG-13 BHC and expect it to be anything like it was for you.

When is Hollywood going to get it that they can't keep ruining R-rated franchises with PG-13 installments? Already we've seen it happen with Live Free or Die Hard, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and reportedly the upcoming Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. Actually, as FilmChat pointed out a year ago, it's been going on since even before the BHC series began (Amityville 3-D, Conan the Destroyer). OK, Ratner, I guess what you're doing is only natural, after all.