Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” and country music star Zach Bryan releasing a new studio album are among the new television, movies, music and games coming to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth checking out, as selected by The Associated Press entertainment journalists: Emma Roberts is accepted into a competitive NASA training program in the film ‘Space Cadet,’ Discovery Channel’s annual ‘Shark Week’ hopes to play a part of primetime viewers and the video game Zenless Zone Zero is set in an urban wasteland with some interesting creatures.
— After nearly thirty years of fits and starts, the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie is finally here. Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which hits Netflix on Wednesday. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton also return, but they get some fresh blood in a detective played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Captain (Kevin Bacon). Taylour Paige also joins the ensemble as Axel’s daughter. The original “Beverly Hills Cop” that made Murphy famous in 1984 is now also streaming on Netflix.
— Emma Roberts “lives her best life in Florida” as she remembers her lifelong dream to become an astronaut in “Space Cadet.” Unbeknownst to her, a friend (“Hacks” castmate Poppy Liu) embellishes her resume and she is accepted into a competitive NASA training program. It aims to be a kind of “Legally Blonde” meets “Private Benjamin” (who wouldn’t dream of such heights) and will be available to stream on Prime Video starting Thursday.
— The Criterion Channel continues to offer the best and most thoughtful film libraries, carefully curated and grouped into fun themes that refresh on the first of each month. A neo noir series (‘Out of Sight’, ‘LA Confidential’ and two ‘Bad Lieutenants’ including two) will be released on Monday, one about pop Shakespeare, including ‘Romeo + Juliet’ by Baz Luhrmann, with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Michael Almereyda’s ‘Hamlet’, starring Ethan Hawke, and a selection of Nicolas Roeg films, including the Donald Sutherland classic ‘Don’t Look Now’. The channel will also host the streaming premiere of the animated film “Chicken For Linda!”
– AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
— On July 4, country star Zach Bryan will release a new studio album, “The Great American Bar Scene.” Little is known about it yet. There will be 18 songs – 17 songs and a poem – and it will be previewed in bars across the US and Canada before streaming on Independence Day. (Listen, it would be foolish to expect a traditional rollout from the sometimes irreverent musician, who just two years ago released a live album titled “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.”) The album will be “Purple Gas ‘, a duet with Canadian newcomer Noeline Hofmann, as well as ‘Pink Skies’, a folksy tearjerker that AP recently called one of the songs of the summer. That song is an example of Bryan’s specific skills – little more than an acoustic guitar, harmonica and raspy, specific stories that reveal universal truths. “The kids are in town for a funeral,” he sings. “So get in the car and dry your eyes.” He’s an expert at writing a novel in few words, so be prepared to take notes.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— The beloved children’s animated series ‘Bluey’, about a dog family, will be released this summer with super short episodes of one to three minutes. The first seven minisodes air Wednesday on Disney+. A second batch of minisodes will be released later this year.
— NBC’s “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks” is now in its 48th year. This Independence Day, the sky above New York’s Hudson River will light up in patriotic colors and fireworks. Country singer Mickey Guyton will perform along with media personality Zuri Hall. The festivities will air live Wednesday starting at 8 PM ET on NBC and Peacock.
— Summer is for sharks. Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week” kicks off on Sunday, July 7 with John Cena as host. The network has 21 hours of original programming to sink your teeth into, hosted by John Cena. “Shark Week” is also streaming on Max.
— Former reality star Hannah Berner, who was a cast member of Bravo’s “Summer House,” is ready to debut her first comedy special. “We Ride At Dawn” will be released on Netflix on Sunday, July 7. Berner is also the co-host of the popular podcast “Giggly Squad” with former “Summer House” cast member Paige DeSorbo.
– Although TikTok grabs most of the headlines, Chinese video games have increasingly found a Western audience in recent years. At the top of the wave is Shanghai-based MiHoYo, developers of the fantasy role-playing game Genshin Impact and the sci-fi epic Honkai: Star Rail. The studio’s new adventure, Zenless Zone Zero, is set in an urban wasteland under attack by creatures from alternate dimensions. Like MiHoYo’s previous hits, ZZZ is free to play, although you’re definitely encouraged to spend money on collectibles you can find around town. You can start finding your Zen Thursday on PlayStation 5, PC, iOS or Android.
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