Transformers: The Last Knight writers to pen Men in Black spin-off for 2019

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Sony Pictures has been keen to keep the MEN IN BLACK franchise going after the third film, but when the series does return, it will likely be without major roles, if any, for Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. As well as previously discussing a new trilogy which would "reinvent" the series, there's also the perplexing, yet still compelling, MEN IN BLACK and 21 JUMP STREET crossover movie. Although that crossover is apparently still in development, it seems that a MEN IN BLACK spin-off will be the first out of the gate.

Deadline reports that Sony Pictures has fast tracked a MEN IN BLACK spin-off and slated the film for a May 17, 2019 release. Matt Holloway & Art Marcum (TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT) has penned a script, which will be a "contemporary sci-fi pic about the secret black clad force that protects earth from the alien scum of the universe, focusing on new characters chasing villains that put the picture on more of a global scale than the two previous films." The project was compared to JURASSIC WORLD, which successfully rebooted and expanded that franchise. Although Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones aren't expected to reprise their roles, the spin-off will acknowledge and build on the world they inhabited. Producer Walter F. Parkes confirmed the spin-off, saying "It’s so rare to get to the end of the script and know you’re holding a movie in your hands – but Art and Matt have written a spinoff that somehow is true to the core of the MIB world, and yet expands the franchise to a fresh new place." The search is currently underway for a director and it's expected that one will be announced shortly.

Is there a future for the MEN IN BLACK franchise without Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones? What do you hope to see from the spin-off?