Will Smith and Martin Lawrence announce Bad Boys 4

Enlarge image

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence aka Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett in Bad Boys for Life, the third installment in the film series

Photo:

Columbia Pictures / imago images/ZUMA Wire

The US actors Will Smith (54) and Martin Lawrence (57) want to return to the screen for the fourth time as "Bad Boys".

The duo announced the plans for "Bad Boys 4" with a joint video on Instagram.

"Is it finally here?" Lawrence asks in the video announcement of the two actors.

And Smith replies, "It's time!"

According to the Hollywood Reporter and Variety, Sony Pictures has confirmed that the untitled sequel is in the works.

Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who directed 2020's »Bad Boys for Life«, return for part four.

Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Top Gun) is on board as a producer.

The first "Bad Boys" film starring Smith and Lawrence as Miami cop duo Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett was released in 1995, and the first action-comedy sequel followed in 2003.

Smith had won the leading actor Oscar in 2022 for his role in the tennis drama King Richard - but the actor had caused quite a stir before that when he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage.

He had previously made a joke at the expense of Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith - she suffers from hair loss.

As a result of the slapping scandal, the repentant actor resigned from the Academy, and the Academy in turn banned Smith from the Oscars and its events for ten years.

The slave drama Emancipation, starring Smith as a badly abused slave, was released in December as the first film since the incident.

A publication was considered uncertain after the scandal – as was the professional future of the box office guarantor.

Projects with Smith were quickly shelved at Netflix and Sony.

But Apple decided to release the prestige item »Emancipation«.

"Bad Boys 4" was also announced long before the scandal - after that it was initially quiet about the sequel.

sak/dpa