'Bad Boys 3' leading man Will Smith, who plays detective Mike Lowrey in the series, may not return to reprise his role but might stay on as producer instead. Michael Bay may not be directing the sequel.
According to A.V. Club, the other half of the buddy cop tag-team may not be coming back to act in the third and fourth sequels scheduled for cinematic release on February 17, 2017 and July 3, 2019 respectively. Smith was reported unsure if he would star in the upcoming films but it is a possibility that he will stay on to produce them. His co-star Martin Lawrence recently confirmed of the third film's development under Sony.
The series proved to be quite the success among critics and fans alike ever since its first film's debut in 1995. It was the first time the hilarious duo Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Smith) of the Miami Police Department's narcotics division came to the big-screen, according to Cinema Blend. Its sequel, which followed in 2003, proved to be an even bigger film still and raked in $273 million in the box office.
Michael Bay of 'Transformers', 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Armageddon' took the director's chair for the first two films, however, it is unclear whether he will be involved with the third. In an article by Den of Geek, the successful filmmaker is currently tied to other projects and may not be able to commit to his previous work with Lawrence and Smith. On a positive note, Sony had been eyeing independent film director Joe Carnahan as a suitable replacement for 'Bad Boys 3'.
'Bad Boys 3' is the upcoming installment in the comedy-action series that proved to be commercially successful in the domestic and international film markets. The first film served as Bay's directorial debut and starred Lawrence, Smith and Tea Leoni. It earned $141 million against a $19 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.
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