Bad Boys 4 Starring Will Smith Receives Positive Update From Producer | Pretty Reel

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer provides a positive update on the status of Bad Boys 4, which was put on hold after Will Smith’s infamous Oscar slap.

Bad Boys 4 producer Jerry Bruckheimer shares a positive update on the status of the sequel and the return of Will Smith. Michael Bay’s Bad Boys was released in 1995, earning mostly negative reviews from critics, but striking a chord with audiences. The action-comedy film sees Smith and Martin Lawrence as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively, a duo of detectives trying to protect a witness to a murder. Smith and Lawrence would return for a sequel in 2003, and a third film, Bad Boys For Life, was released in 2020. A script for the fourth installment is reportedly in the works as early as 2020, but Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this year reportedly caused delays in the project.

Over the summer, Lawrence expressed his confidence that Bad Boys 4 would still be made, and now, in a recent interview with THR, Bruckheimer echoes that same sentiment. Although updates on the project have been sparse, the longtime franchise producer is optimistic that the film will continue with Smith’s involvement. Check out Bruckheimer’s full comment below:

” Absolutely. I mean, Will made a mistake, unfortunately. It’s not who he is. He is a phenomenal actor and there is always forgiveness in the world. And I hope the public will forgive him.

Bad Boys 4 Can’t Happen Without Will Smith

Although Smith’s actions at the Oscars earlier this year shocked many viewers, there’s no denying that the Bad Boys franchise needs the actor if it is to continue. From the first episode of Bay in 1995 to Bad Boys For Life two years ago, the chemistry between Smith and Lawrence, for many, is the main draw. All three episodes featured plenty of action and fight scenes, but it’s the buddy-cop dynamic between Mike and Marcus that gives the franchise so much heart. If Bad Boys 4 were to move forward with just Lawrence, it would become a more standard action movie and thus lose a key ingredient to the franchise’s success.

Throughout the last three movies, Marcus is more of a straightforward type, which contrasts nicely with Mike’s “shoot first, ask questions later” approach. The duo don’t always agree on the right way to solve a particular problem, and that’s where the comedy classic Bad Boys comes from. Without Marcus pushing Mike to rein him in, and without Mike pushing Marcus to let go and embrace the chaos of it all, both characters eventually become less interesting. Additionally, Bad Boys 4 will likely be the franchise’s final installment, and concluding the story without one of the key characters probably wouldn’t sit well with fans.

Whether Bad Boys 4 will ever come to fruition remains to be seen, but Bruckheimer’s latest comment is a very positive sign. It’s unclear how far along the script is and whether work is continuing behind the scenes or not, but it’s likely that a more concrete update on the project will be given next year when the memory of the slap of Smith at the Oscars has faded. While it doesn’t look like the movie will be going into production anytime soon, fans can rest assured that if Bad Boys 4 does happen, Smith will almost certainly be back as Mike.