‘Beverly Hills Cop’ star Judge Reinhold claims an ‘executive assassination plot’ destroyed his career

Judge Reinhold shares the story that derailed his career.

The actor, who stars alongside Eddie Murphy in the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, said his attempt to play the lead in “Vice Versa” was thwarted because of its symbolic “murder plot.”

Reinhold, 67, told Vanity Fair in an interview published on June 13 that the 1988 film starring Fred Savage failed at the box office because of similar films released at the time, as well as because the actions of former Columbia Pictures CEO David Puttnam behind the scenes.

“It was basically a plot to kill the principal. “David Puttnam, who produced ‘Chariots of Fire,’ became head of Columbia Pictures and we all loved him because he was creative and made independent films,” he said. “David’s flaw was that he wanted to keep the price of the main actors down but make the profits on the back end real.”

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Puttnam served as CEO for 15 months, from June 1986 to September 1987.

He continued: “I believed him. Really. And unfortunately he didn’t stay long enough to prove this formula.”

“Vice Versa” tells the story of a divorced executive and his 11-year-old son who encounter a mysterious Tibetan skull. The skull releases magical powers that cause them to switch bodies.

As noted in Vanity Fair magazine, the film was featured in a number of age-transition films, including 1987’s Like Father, Like Son and 1988’s Big and 18 Again!

“What happened was the Dudley Moore-Kirk Cameron movie, Like Father Like Son. Tri-Star Pictures put the movie in production while we were shooting,” Reinhold said. “And Coca-Cola owned both companies. When I started working on the movie, I knew there were risks in being so closely aligned with other companies. I know that assumption had been made beforehand. I didn’t know about the Dudley Moore movie.”

The “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” actor starred in “The Santa Clause” and has guest-starred on “Ellen,” “Monk” and “Arrested Development” as well as numerous television movies.

Reinhold has appeared in every installment of the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, including the 2013 TV movie.

The actor reprises his role as Billy Rosewood in the upcoming Netflix film “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which premieres on July 3.

The original Beverly Hills Cop hit the big screen in 1984 and catapulted Murphy to superstardom. The classic buddy-cop action comedy spawned two sequels, each starring Murphy as the titular, street-smart cop who comes to California from Detroit to investigate crime and corruption.

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley” reunites Murphy and Reinhold with series stars John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot. New to the series are stars Kevin Bacon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Taylour Paige.

Collaboration: Sarah Al-Arshani and Eric Lagatta

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Star Judge Reinhold Reflects on the Movie That Ended His Career