Bad Boys 4: Jerry Bruckheimer comments on Will Smith returning to the franchise

Ever since Will Smith slapped the taste out of Chris Rock’s mouth at the nationally-televised 2022 Oscars ceremony, Smith is spending most of his time picking up the pieces of his career. Smith’s silver-screen future appeared grim for a short time. Still, a knock-out performance in Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation reminded everyone that Smith is a movie-making maverick and will shine again after the public moves on from his questionable display of aggression. One person who still believes in the power of Will Smith is Bad Boys franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about Smith returning for another sequel in the buddy cop action series. When asked if there’s a viable path forward for Bad Boys 4 with Will Smith attached, Bruckheimer offered some encouraging words:

“Absolutely. I mean, Will made a mistake, unfortunately. That’s not who he is. He’s a phenomenal actor, and there’s always forgiveness in the world. And hopefully, the audience will forgive him.”

Michael Bay’s Bad Boys rolled up into cinemas in 1995. The action-packed film received mediocre reviews from critics but was a hit with audiences. Despite the movie’s failings, people copped to the franchise’s lead characters, Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), two detectives with a flare for the dramatic. A sequel with Smith and Lawrence returning dropped in 2003, and a third film, Bad Boys For Life, exploded on screens in 2020. A script for a fourth installment was said to be in the mix, but then the Oscars happened.

With everyone up in arms about Smith’s actions that evening, people began to question if Bad Boys For Life would happen with Smith still attached. I don’t know if a sequel will happen without Smith’s involvement, but I’m not in charge of these decisions. If Bruckheimer is optimistic about Smith’s participation, I think there’s a chance the actor could return after a killer script is submitted.

Do you think Will Smith could star in Bad Boys 4? Could Martin Lawrence carry the sequel with a new partner? Let us know what you think in the comments.