Bad Boys 4: All About Will Smith And Martin Lawrence’s Return
We are here to give you the lowdown on what's happening with Bad Boys 4.
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you… for the fourth time? That was the word earlier this year and we are here to give you the lowdown on what’s happening with Bad Boys 4. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith will be back, and here’s what they’re planning for the next installment.
BAD BOYS 4 HAS ALREADY FILMED?
Rather quietly, it seems that Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have already filmed, or at least started filming, Bad Boys 4 in the spring of 2023. While it wasn’t widely reported, it appears that Will Smith and company got principle photography underway and the movie is on track.
This was somewhat surprising considering the timing around the Oscar’s slap and the possible feeling that Will Smith could be persona non grata in Hollywood. But time heals all proverbial wounds in that respect and it appears Bad Boys 4 is on the way.
BAD BOYS 4’S CAST
Cash grab or smart business move. Either way, Bad Boys 4 is on the way and both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will return as one of our favorite cop duos. With the duo back in the fold, the question now turns to who else will be coming back.
Bad Boys For Life saw the introduction to a new young squad called AMMO (Advanced Miami Metro Operations) that was led by Lowery’s ex-girlfriend. The young crew included Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Charles Melton. All will be returning for Bad Boys 4 as both Lowery and Burnett were placed in charge of AMMO at the conclusion of the third movie.
Another character who is returning for Bad Boys 4 is Paola Nunez’s Rita who was appointed to captain after longtime captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) was murdered.
Other than that, other confirmed cast include Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn, Ioan Gruffudd, and Eric Dane though none of their specific parts are known at this point.
THE PEOPLE MAKING BAD BOYS 4
The first two Martin Lawrence and Will Smith movies were directed by Michael Bay. Whether you like him or not, he has directed some major blockbusters. The first two movies were Bay classics, big set pieces, and action stunts. The third movie, while it did have its moments, it didn’t carry the Bay weight with it.
Bad Boys For Life was directed by the tandem of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and according to the team, they will return for Bad Boys 4.
Their Bad Boys story offered less bang and more heart (which eventually led to more bucks), and was in stark contrast to the Bay-directed films.
So, why didn’t Bay come back for the third movie? According to Will Smith, Bay was simply too expensive. He explained via Digital Spy that he had reached out to Bay about a number three, “We need Bad Boys 3. I was just watching Bad Boys 2 with my son and I told him you can’t open a movie better. That’s the best movie opening ever!”
But here was the problem. “Michael is too expensive now, he’s way too expensive.” Maybe Will Smith was joking, maybe not. Either way, it is not yet known who will be in the director’s chair once Bad Boys 4 starts rolling.
What is known is that writer Chris Bremner will be back to write the script for Bad Boys 4. He wrote the script for Bad Boys For Life but shares credits with Joe Carnahan and Peter Craig for both story and screenplay.
THE FIRST THREE BAD BOY MOVIES
It was actually April 7, 1995. This was the day that Bad Boys premiered with its Michael Bay budget of $19 million. That same $19 million in today’s movie-making wouldn’t even cover Will Smith’s fee for being in the movie. But the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence buddy cop action flick brought in over $140 million, pretty much guaranteeing a sequel.
It took Michael Bay eight years, but a sequel is what we got. This time the budget was much different. In fact, the budget was so high it almost cost more to make the second Bad Boys than the first one brought in at the box office. The sequel’s cost? $130 million.
Thankfully the box office return for this one was double at over $273 million. Surely this meant the sequel would be a trilogy, right? Eventually. It took a long time to get to where we are though, at Bad Boys 4.
It was talked about for a long time, but finally, the Bad Boys were back. Mike Lowery (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) were back after a 17-year hiatus. Looking only a little bit older and a bit heavier, the duo jumped back into familiar roles with reckless abandon. This time Michael Bay didn’t come along, which may account for the film’s $90 million budget.
The filmmakers, along with both Smith and Martin Lawrence, were hoping for a killing at the box office but they may not have been expecting what they got. So far the movie has made close to $340 million at the theaters. Which lead us to Bad Boys 4.
