There are a number of franchises that run out of gas after a few years, but the love for Bad Boys has seemed to only grow with time. It was a full three decades ago this month that the original directed by Michael Bay arrived in theaters, and last year's Bad Boys: Ride Or Die successfully crossed $400 million at the worldwide box office. There is clearly still a hunger for more adventures featuring Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, and star Martin Lawrence feels that as long as there is demand, there should be consistent supply.
Currently promoting the new animated comedy Sneaks (which is now in theaters), Lawrence spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the current status of the Bad Boys franchise. He has a great passion for the legacy of the franchise, which really began when he asked Will Smith to sign on for the first film without seeing the script, and he is as impressed as anyone by the love expressed by movie-goers. Said the actor,
It means a great deal to me because that was me and Will’s baby. You know, that’s what we started with. And to get four strong, successful films out of them, we couldn’t ask for much more. And, hopefully, as long as the audience wants to see them, we’ll be able to put them out.
Bad Boys can be counted as a landmark film in the history of action cinema, as it launched Michael Bay's career making blockbusters, brought Martin Lawrence's career to a whole new level, and turned Will Smith into a bona fide movie star. There was a long 17 year stretch between 2003's Bad Boys II and 2020's Bad Boys For Life, but Bad Boys: Ride Or Die cut that gap down to four years, and ticket sales suggest that the studio shouldn't waste any time making a fifth chapter.
As for that fourth sequel, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith apparently haven't had any kind of sit down to talk about story ideas or new developments for their characters, but he does confirm that the decision-makers as Sony Pictures are actively discussing Bad Boys 5. Said Lawrence,
I think we gotta give you five. That’s what I’m thinking. … Me and [Will Smith] haven’t talked about an idea or nothing, but the studio is.
Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is a film that digs into the canon of the franchise in development of the plot, as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are put in a position of clearing their names after being accused of corruption, and it feels like it could have been used as a conclusion for the franchise – but it seems there is too much love for the movies to let the series end. Will Smith expressed interest in making more sequels almost immediately after the release of Bad Boys 4, so Bad Boys 5 definitely feels like it's inevitable.
Obviously we don't know at this present time when we will actually get to see the next Bad Boys movie, but stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest news about the future of the franchise.
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