The path to bringing bad boys Martin Lawrence and Will Smith back to the big screen for good-old-fashioned mayhem has hit another pump in the road, as director/writer Joe Carnahan has officially left BAD BOYS FOR LIFE. This is a serious letdown for anyone hoping to see Smith and Lawrence take on a pack of wolves.
The Hollywood Reporter got the scoop that the director would be leaving the project due to scheduling conflicts. Carnahan also wrote the most recent draft of the script, and while a search for a new director is already underway the studio may also be looking to hire a new writer. Though the original story cited how some sources were saying Carnahan may have left over "creative differences", the director took to Twitter to assure us it was indeed a scheduling issue:
Though this may be a sour note for fans of the director, the studio could still make the beginning of their planned fall shoot date if they find their new director in time. But overall this shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone following Carnahan’s other projects. On top of getting ready for BAD BOYS he's been writing the UNCHARTED movie, is rumored to be writing the X-FORCE movie, and will direct a remake of THE RAID starring Frank Grillo. When it comes to the latter Carnahan may not have had time to get it started anytime soon, between shooting, post and promoting BAD BOYS, all while starting up aforementioned company.
I’m a little bummed to see him go, but not totally flabbergasted. The man has been taking on a lot of projects recently so it was likely one would fall through the cracks. But I didn’t think it’d be this one, given it has the higher profile and more likeliness for success. But I am sad, as I'm one of the folks who wanted to see Smith fight a wolf. *sigh*