The origins of Beverly Hills Cop can be traced back to the late 1970s, when the basic idea for the film was conceived and underwent several significant overhauls. Initially a serious action film, it was initially written to include more comedic elements, which attracted the attention of Mickey Rourke. However, Rourke eventually dropped out of the role in favor of doing The Pope of Greenwich Village. Stallone then began rewriting the story himself, returning it to its action roots. Screenwriter Daniel Petrie Jr. suggested Stallone's proposal would have significantly increased the budget of the film, but he opted to make it for another studio and reworked it into 1986's Cobra. Eddie Murphy eventually made the cast and contributed to the story during filming, improvising his dialogue.