‘Bad Boys 3’ Could Begin Filming Early 2019

Production on the long-awaited third installment of the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys For Life, could begin as early as next year as Sony is reportedly close to greenlighting the film based on a new script the film’s producers have approved.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are expected to direct the film from the latest draft of the script written by Chris Bremner. Details on the plot are under wraps but the studio hopes the film will see another team-up between Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Bennett (Martin Lawrence). Smith is set to return for another outing, however, Lawrence has yet to close a deal.

Bad Boys For Life has long been in development at the studio with Joe Carnahan (The Grey) previously attached to direct from a script he wrote. Carnahan got involved after Michael Bay’s exit but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, although other claims suggested it was because of creative differences. According to the trade, the new plan is to have the film ready to release by Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2020.

Since the project has stalled, the franchise has found new life in Television. L.A.’s Finest, a Bad Boys TV spin-off starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba is set to debut on Charter Spectrum in 2019. The series will feature Union reprising her role as Special Agent Syd Burnett, the sister of Detective Lieutenant Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) last seen taking down a Miami drug cartel in Bad Boys II. The pilot picks up with Syd now working as an LAPD detective when her new partner, Nancy McKenna — played by Alba — discovers Syd’s unapologetic lifestyle may be masking a greater personal secret.

Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the future of the Bad Boys franchise as we learn it.

Source: Variety