When Sony blew the lid off its release schedule, penciling in launch dates for the likes of Underworld 5, The Dark Tower and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the studio also showed some love to its dormant 90s action series by slating both Bad Boys 3 and Bad Boys 4 for arrival in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Seems Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey are coming back in a major way, right? Not so fast. Will Smith cast doubt over the possibility of him returning as the latter narcotics detective for the long-rumored sequel. Although, during an interview with Zane Low for Beats 1 Radio, the actor appeared much more optimistic about the actioner, even going so far as to say that fans could expect Bad Boys 3 at some point within the “next 12 to 16 months.”
“There is a very, very, very strong possibility that you will be seeing a Bad Boys within the next 12 to 16 months.”
Going off of Smith’s rough timeline and it would seem that the actor is confident the next installment in the cult action series can arrive in time for Sony’s 2017 release date. Even still, the star stopped short of committing to acting in the film alongside Martin Lawrence (who is yet to formally announce his own involvement), or if he will remain on board as producer and pass the torch on to a new generation of wise-cracking narcotic detectives.
In fact, Bad Boys 3 is so early in development that a director is yet to be formally announced, though last we heard A-Team alum Joe Carnahan was circling the sequel, based on a script from David Guggenheim (Safe House).
At the time of writing, Bad Boys 3 is on course for a release on February 17, 2017, though whether the sequel can meet Sony’s somewhat ambitious due date will be ultimately told in time.