If you thought Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were going to just retire into the sunset after their roles in Bad Boys For Life, prepare for a shock. When they said for life, they meant it, as Detective Mike Lowery and Inspector Marcus Burnett are reportedly coming back for another round of danger and punchlines.
On the back of solid critical praise and a beautiful $6.36 million opening with last night’s grosses alone, Bad Boys For Life seems to have shown Sony Pictures that this is a franchise the public wants more of. Which is great news, considering that the plan for two sequels reaches back to the time when writer/director Joe Carnahan was in the driver’s seat.
THR has also announced that Chris Bremner, a writer on not only Bad Boys For Life, but also the still-developing National Treasure 3, has been recruited to come back to write Bad Boys 4. Which now makes it even more of a shame that the title of the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced threequel already burned the obvious candidate for a fourth film’s title.
Chris Bremner’s hire for the potential Bad Boys 4 isn’t a sure fire sign that the film is going to happen. Just ask anyone who was working on the Joe Carnahan version of what eventually became Bad Boys For Life, as that film’s history was on and off again more than anyone would care to admit.
However, the big difference is that there’s now blood in the water, so to speak; and Sony’s hungry to get more of that crucial box office revenue that comes from a bankable franchise. With a potential foundation from its past incarnation to work on, and a public seemingly ready to take another spin with Mike, Marcus and the AMMO team, all that’s missing are the box office receipts to prove that Bad Boys 4 is not only a good idea, but the best idea possible.
The cautious nature surrounding this surprise announcement isn’t a bad thing, as without either an approved script or a public eager to see where things go next, there’s no reason to ruin what could be a potentially perfect ending to the Bad Boys saga.
Though usually, behind any cautious decision, there’s an impulsive side that wants to commit to the next adventure. And somewhere, in-between cautious and reckless, is the sort of attitude that’ll make sure that if Bad Boys 4 gets the greenlight, it won’t yield another 17 year wait for fans and creative types alike.
There’s no scheduled release date for Bad Boys 4, but Bad Boys For Life is currently in theaters. And if you’ve seen the film, you know there’s a perfect pathway to start this new film’s story out on.
