While MEN IN BLACK actor Will Smith unboubtedly makes the official uniform of the franchise's secret government agency look good, it's recently been revealed that the Fresh Pince who played Agent Jay for the first three films in the series wishes that he could erase the MIB sequel from your memory.
Appearing on Thursday’s The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Smith clued viewers into the reason it took 17 years to develop the upcoming Bad Boys sequel, BAD FOR FOR LIFE.
“What we tried to do, that was really critical and important to me, is not try to just do the old movies again,” said Smith, in relation to BAD BOYS (1995) and BAD BOYS II (2003). “You had to take into consideration the time, had to take into consideration how the characters would have grown. And the reason it took so long is because I didn’t want to make it just as a cash grab. You know, ‘Hey, everybody loves sequels, let’s just do a sequel.’”
Smith must have been feeling rather honest that evening, because while on the topic of sequels, he admitted that a number of his films have been less than stellar, adding, “I had fumbled a couple of my last sequels. You know, I wasn’t happy with the Men in Black sequel.”
While Smith failed to mention whether he was referring to 2002's MEN IN BLACK II or 2012's MEN IN BLACK 3, I'm just going to assume that he meant both of them. Hey-o! Joking aside, my honest guess is that Smith was throwing shade at MEN IN BLACK 3, an all-too-forgettable sequel that sent the trilogy out with a whimper as opposed to a big bang.
That said, it's been well documented that Smith is a man of integrity, and as such he wants everyone to know that BAD BOYS FOR LIFE is the real deal.
“I’m going to keep it real: sometimes I say ‘y’all are gonna love it,’ and y’all not gonna love it,” he said with a knowing glance and a laugh. “You know, ’cause sometimes I’ve seen it, and I know y’all not gonna love it, but it’s an expensive movie. But this time…it is so good.”
Fans of the Bad Boys franchise will be able to judge the long-gestating sequel for themselves when BAD BOYS FOR LIFE races into theaters on January 17th. Personally, I'm more than willing to give the film a fair shake. My opinion is that so long as the character chemistry is solid, and the action is well over-the-top, we should be in good shape. Thankfully, we won't have to wait too long to find out. What cha gonna do when BAD BOYS FOR LIFE comes for you? Let us know if you plan on checking the film out in theaters in the comments section below.