Following the “slap heard around the world,” which came courtesy of the now Oscar winner Will Smith, it was thought that the upcoming action sequelBad Boys 4would be delayed … if not canceled entirely. Thankfully for fans, this has been confirmed not to be the case, and nowBad BoysstarMartin Lawrencehas confirmed that not only isBad Boys 4on the horizon, but there may be even more from Mike and Marcus in the future.
“We got one more at least.”
Speaking withEbony, Lawrence’s response to the development ofBad Boys 4is short and sweet. But it still manages to say quite a lot. Not only does Lawrence confirm that, yes,Bad Boys 4is still happening despite the recent controversy surroundingWill Smith, but that it may not be the last movie in the hugely successful franchise.
Indeed, the words “at least” suggest that Martin Lawrence could be eyeing up not justBad Boys 4butBad Boys 5, Bad Boys 6, andBad Boys 7as well. With the latter likely to follow Mike and Marcus in a retirement home.
The last audiences saw of detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett was in 2020’sBad Boys for LifeAKABad Boys 3, which sees them join the Miami Police Department’s special team AMMO to bring down the ruthless Armando, who is on a mission to kill Mike at his mother Isabel’s orders. Directed by filmmaking duo Adil & Bilall,Bad Boys 3quickly became a huge success. Well received by critics, the threequel grossed $426.5 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing January release of all time, the fourth highest-grossing movie of 2020, and the highest-grossing installment in the Bad Boys franchise.
As everyone now knows,Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the faceduring his set at the recent Oscar event after the comedian made a joke at Jada Pinkett-Smith’s expense.While the actor has since apologized, it has been reported that several of Smith’s upcoming projects, including the likes ofI Am Legend 2andApple TV+ movieEmancipation, have been delayed.
While it was initially said that the development ofBad Boys 4had been called into question,Sony chairman Tom Rothman recently revealed that this was not the case and that the action sequel is still going ahead.
“No. That was inaccurate,” Rothman said of the reports of the project’s delay and cancellation. “That movie’s been in development and still is. There weren’t any brakes to pump because the car wasn’t moving,” he explained. “That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I don’t think it’s really my place to comment, except to say that I’ve known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person. That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret is genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption.”
