Bad Boys for Life is loving that life right now. Good reviews, great fan reactions, and more money in its box office debut than anyone expected. So it wasn't a shock to hear Bad Boys 4 was in the works -- except maybe to the directors of Bad Boys 3.
ReelBlend had the chance to talk to Bad Boys for Life co-directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi and they shared how they learned about Bad Boys 4:
Adil: We saw the news, like everybody, on the Internet.Bilall: They didn’t call us yet, but I hope that we get the chance to do that, because we love this franchise, we loved our relationship with Will and Martin, so we’re ready to do it!
Yeah, hopefully Will Smith and Martin Lawrence go to bat for Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi, since they seemed to make for a winning team with Bad Boys for Life.
That's not to say Bad Boys 4 is officially ready to go. The news came from THR that Bad Boys for Life co-writer Chris Bremner had been hired to write a script for the fourth movie. (He's also working on that National Treasure 3 movie we just heard about.)
The two leads -- Will Smith and Martin Lawrence -- are expected to return with Jerry Bruckheimer back as producer. There was no mention of a director for Bad Boys 4, so it sounds like whatever is happening is still in the early stages.
But it's not like Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are waiting by the phone. They are reportedly directing Beverly Hills Cop 4 with Eddie Murphy. After the success of Bad Boys for Life, I have to imagine Beverly Hills Cop 4, Coming 2 America, Top Gun: Maverick -- all of these old school sequels must be feeling a surge of hope, right? As much as fans get frustrated with all the reboots and remakes, sequels are still hot tickets.
Will Smith said it took so long for Bad Boys (1995) and Bad Boys II (2003) to get a sequel because he didn't want to wreck the franchise. He knows he has some not-so-great movies in his past and he didn't want to do that to Bad Boys.
If Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah do return for Bad Boys 4, there are a lot of places the movie could go. Bad Boys 3's mid-credits scene -- which was almost cut -- and ending set up what could come next. The movie itself has a few great cameos, including one you might miss if you're not paying attention.
Look for ReelBlend's interview with directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to post later this week. Bad Boys for Life is now in theaters, enjoying one of the best MLK weekend openings ever. Keep up with everything heading to the big screen this year with our 2020 movie release date schedule.
