21 Jump Street/Men In Black crossover is coming together at Sony… for real

Back during the time of the Sony hack, which now feels like it happened forever ago, one of the projects that emerged that the studio was considering and looking into possibly developing was a crossover of both the 21 JUMP STREET and MEN IN BLACK franchises. Of course, many read such a ridiculous notion and cast it aside as further proof of a studio in serious creative control willing to throw shit at the wall in the hopes of finding something that might stick, especially during a time of shared universes. But early last year, Rodney Rothman confirmed that Sony was really working on it with designs of making this crossover into an actual movie… and then, amidst rumblings of another MEN IN BLACK trilogy possibly coming together, it looked as if the JUMP STREET/MIB idea had been shelved.

Nope… not the case at all. It’s coming together. It’s happening, and the pieces are starting to be put into place to make this insanity a reality. James Bobin is in talks to come on-board and direct the franchise combo as Sony targets a June start date for the flick to already go into production.

Chris Miller and Phil Lord, who brought the 21 JUMP STREET films along, will stay on as producers, given they already have a commitment to direct a young Han Solo movie for Disney and Lucasfilm that prevent them from sitting in the director’s chair on this one. There’s no word on Barry Sonnenfeld being involved, as it appears Sony may have moved on from him on the MEN IN BLACK front. However, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given that the MEN IN BLACK duo set to be a part of this film will not be Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones. A pair of younger faces is what Sony is after, as they attempt to relaunch one franchise with the help of another.

Sony is said to be high on the script that Rothman was commissioned to write, which is how the film has come together rather quickly at this point. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hll will be reprising their JUMP STREET roles, so now it’ll be interesting to see who is picked to work against them on the other end in a very strange meshing of two franchises that don’t quite seem to go together.