Men in Black 5: Why We’re Not Ready to See Will Smith Cast Again?

In 1997, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones first played MIB agents K and J on screen.

Following the success of Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black, the same team followed up five years later.

Until 2012, it will be necessary to reform the famous duo in Men Black in III. With $654 million at the international box office, this third opus became the highest-grossing episode of the trilogy.

When asked about the possibility of a fourth film while promoting the third, producer Laurie MacDonald variety: “We decided that the story ended at the end of the third film. This part dealt with the mystery surrounding Jay’s father and the emotional tension reached a climax..

For his part, Will Smith says:Three films are enough. No matter what is deducted, three is enough. It’s time to let someone else do it.”

Therefore, the actor is clearly done with the extraterrestrial saga. In addition, the Oscar ceremony hurt the career of the comedian, who was fired from several projects. So it is unlikely that Sony Pictures will offer him the role.

Relaunching the franchise?

But the studio isn’t done with this lucrative franchise, and has explored several avenues over the years. The idea of ​​a crossover with the Jump Street saga by Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill was even mentioned, but never materialized. In 2018, Sony finally announced a more conventional spin-off.

In June 2019, F. Gary Gray’s Men in Black: The International (Fast & Furious 8). Starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson (both from Thor: Ragnarok), the feature film features a new duo of agents who must investigate a hole in the black organization.

But the film was a critical and public failure, registering only $253 million worldwide against a $110 million budget.

The president of Sony Pictures, Tom Rothman, tells about this to the magazine. Business Insider :”Did we miss our shot? Men in Black: International isn’t that big of a disappointment financially, as at the end of the day it’ll earn between $245 million and $300 million at the worldwide box office. But that’s obviously not what we were aiming for with this license reset.

However, he adds: “Men in Black remains a very important asset to the company and I would be very surprised if this is the last film.”

So far, no plans for a sequel have been announced, but it’s possible that the franchise will return in one form or another in the future.