'Men In Black' director to helm 'Beverly Hills Cop' pilot

The television adaptation of Eddie Murphy's "Beverly Hills Cop" is moving right along at CBS. Having already lined up the series lead and several supporting players, the pilot has now reportedly signed on a major Hollywood director.

"Men In Black" director Barry Sonnenfeld has agreed to direct the pilot of the new CBS project, serving as executive producer on the series should it get picked up. He joins "The Shield"'s Shawn Ryan, who will handle scripting duties on the pilot. Murphy himself is also set to serve as executive producer, while potentially reprising his role as a recurring character on the series.

Instead of a reboot, the series will be essentially a continuation of the Eddie Murphy film series. Series star Brandon T. Jackson ("Tropic Thunder") will portray the son of the original Axel Foley, eager to step out from his father's shadow and moving to Beverly Hills to create his own legacy. Kevin Pollak has already joined the project playing Beverly Hills Police Department's in-house attorney Rodney Daloof, joining David Denman ("Traffic Lights") as one of Aaron Foley's partners on the police force.

This won't be the director's first foray into small screen projects, having previously directed episodes of ABC's "Pushing Daisies" and the failed HBO pilot "Suburban Shootout." Getting such a high-profile name to helm the pilot certainly seems to speak positively to its chances of getting a green light to series.