Joe Carnahan says Bad Boys for Life will be the strongest of the trilogy

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Confession time, up until just a few months ago I had never seen BAD BOYS or its sequel. After disclosing this fact to a friend, who was completely appalled, I succumbed to peer pressure and picked up both flicks on Blu-ray for $10. They were just as ridiculous as I had suspected, but I also had a great time watching them, which has left me eagerly awaiting Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's return in the upcoming BAD BOYS FOR LIFE.

With Michael Bay sitting this sequel out, he's passed directing duties over to Joe Carnahan (THE GREY) who recently told io9 that he thinks BAD BOYS FOR LIFE will be the best of the franchise.

Unless you’re Toy Story 3, usually third ones aren’t the strongest, and I think this one will be the strongest of the trilogy thus far. When you’re coming back after 15 years, you better come back with a home run ball, and I really believe that’s what we have….We’ve got a responsibility to make something that’s absolutely equivalent or exceeds what comes before. That’s a really important thing for all of us.

Just last week the BAD BOYS sequel was pushed back several months, moving from summer of 2017 to early 2018, which was due to needing more time to get the script right as well as difficulties in getting all of the major players together in one room to go over it.

We couldn’t all get in a room, go through this thing and really ring it out, I’m a big believer in "do the work at the script level until you’ve got something you know works." That everyone is happy with, the stars are happy with, the director is happy with, the studio is happy with.

Carnahan stayed coy as to what BAD BOYS FOR LIFE will be about, but he did hint that it's "kind of what becomes of Bad Boys when they're not boys anymore." The director also added that "there’s a lot of funny shit in this movie, and there’s also a very mysterious, but tonally spot-on story that I think is kind of perfect for where we are in this day and age, where the guys are and reflectively, a very modern take on these guys." BAD BOYS FOR LIFE is set for a January 12, 2018 release.