‘3 movies are enough’: Can the iconic saga continue with Will Smith?

Does the Men in Black franchise have a future? On the day of the new TV broadcast of the film, we appreciate it.

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

After the success of Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black, a sequel to the same team was released five years later.

In 2012, the famous duo reunited in the film Men in Black 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 to end the story at the end of the third movie. This episode focused on the mystery surrounding Jay’s father and the emotional tension was at a fever pitch..

On the other hand, Will Smith states:Three films are enough. Regardless of the franchise, three is enough. It’s time to let someone else do it.”

Therefore, the actor has clearly completed the extraterrestrial saga. In addition, Oscar’s affair with Shelly hurt the career of the actor who was fired from several projects. It is therefore unlikely that Sony Pictures will offer him to reprise this role.

Relaunching the franchise?

But the studio isn’t done with this lucrative franchise yet, and has been exploring several avenues over the years. Even the idea of ​​a crossover with the Jump Street saga by Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill was 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.

Men in Black remains a very important asset to the company and I would be very surprised if this was the last film.

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

The president of Sony Pictures, Tom Rothman, told about it to the magazine Business Insider :”Did we miss our shot? Men in Black: International isn’t too much of a financial disappointment, as it will end up grossing 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. “

He still adds: “Men in Black remains a very important asset to the company and I would be very surprised if this was the last film.”

No sequel projects have been announced at this time, but it is possible that the franchise will return in one form or another in the future. In any case, we will see Will Smith again very soon in the cinema: he will be in the credits of another successful franchise, Bad Boys 4, which will arrive in France on June 12, 2024.

Men in Black airs tonight on TMC.