You can blame Jurassic World. That successful reinvention of Jurassic Park has clearly kicked open the door for other franchise shakeups and reboots and the next one hitting cinemas is Men in Black.
The alien-battling government agents will return… or will they? Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones headed up the franchise that *averaged* $552 million over three movies – but will they make a comeback in a fourth movie? We’ve got all the news on that and everything else you need to know…
Men in Black 4 reboot release date – when can I see it?
Shooting is now under way, which is great news if the film is to hit cinemas on May 17, 2019. Which – until someone tells us otherwise – it is.
Men in Black 4 reboot cast – what, no Will Smith?
It’s official, the fourth MiB movie will not bring back Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as Agents J and K.
Before you neuralyse yourself to forget this whole thing is even happening it’s worth remembering that Smith and Jones weren’t even meant to star in Men in Black (with David Schwimmer offered Smith’s role before the Fresh Prince even signed on).
The main reason not to get downhearted is that there’s another dream team stepping in to take their place. The new MiB movie will be headed up by someone already used to protecting the Earth from alien invasion, as Chris Hemsworth, best known as the Thor in Marvel’s Avengers, will be checking the alien threats.
Hemsworth has already been pictured looking sharp in a smart shirt, black tie and of course the trademark black shades – and he definitely looks like a suitable replacement for Smith and Jones.
Tessa Thompson is also set for a reunion with her Thor: Ragnarok co-star. Hemsworth gave fans a glimpse of what fans can expect in a behind-the-scenes photo on Twitter, tying MiB back to his and Thompson’s history as the ‘Revengers’ in the MCU.
The new Men in Black sequel also brings back original cast member Emma Thompson, so at least one original galaxy defender returns. She’ll be reprising her role as Agent O.
The Men in Black 3 star is the only original cast member attached to return. However, Emma Thompson will have her own reteaming as her Love Actually co-star Liam Neeson has been tapped to play the head of the alien-fighting agency’s London branch.
The sequel is also set to feature Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley), Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) and French brothers Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois (aka Les Twins), who are known for their work as back-up dancers for Beyoncé.
Men in Black 4 reboot director and screenwriters
Steven Spielberg is involved as an executive producer but don’t get too excited as he’s unlikely to play any major part in the production. Walter F Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, who also worked on the original 1997 Men in Black film, are producing.
Attached to write this new take on the franchise are Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, the writing team behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe-starter Iron Man… and Punisher: War Zone and Transformers: The Last Knight. But let’s focus on the first one!
“It’s so rare to get to the end of the script and know you’re holding a movie in your hands – but Art and Matt have written a spinoff that somehow is true to the core of the MIB world, and yet expands the franchise to a fresh new place,” producer Walter F Parkes told Deadline.
What’s truly exciting for Men in Black 2.0 is the director it’s managed to attract. F. Gary Gray is fresh off the record-breaking success of Fast and Furious 8 (AKA Fate of the Furious) and also brought us action-adventure remake The Italian Job and critically-acclaimed NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton.
Men in Black 4 reboot plot – left turn off Jump Street
More than 20 (!) years after the first Men in Black premiered, Sony is now attempting to re-launch the franchise with a brand new take on the series while still honouring the original classic.
At one point the plot revolved around a proposed crossover with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill’s Earth-bound action-comedy Jump Street franchise. That project, called MIB 23, is still in development despite Jonah Hill recently claiming it’d be “impossible” to make.
Not everyone was feeling the comedy mashup. Original Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld told Digital Spy that he was more in favour of a straight sequel than crossing over with any other franchises.
“I wish there were a fourth film,” he told us. “I don’t think Will Smith nor I would be involved. But I love the franchise, because I developed it and created it.
“I think the problem with making a fourth film – for a while they were talking about combining 21 Jump Street and Men in Black – [is] there are too many expensive players in the mix. I think the way to do it is to have new agents or something like that.
“Not have me, not have Will, not have Tommy [Lee Jones]. Just have other adventures.”
That’s exactly what has happened and one of those new agents has spilled early details about the movie: it seems Agent H (Hemsworth) and M (Thompson) will be drawn into a murder mystery that has extraterrestrial implications. Hemsworth has also teased a location change from the original films.
“They’re trying to change up the locations, make it feel unique and different to the last ones,” he told Variety. “So I think you might even see some different countries, maybe. Some different cities than you’ve seen in the previous Men In Black movies.”
“We’re basically trying to put a lot of humour in to it like the previous ones. These are obviously some big, big shoes to fill, so we’re working our butts off on it to make something pretty epic and fun.”
Men in Black 4 reboot production – London, baby!
Men in Black 2.0 has taken its change of location seriously. Hemsworth has already been seen on set outside London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, with one shot appearing to show a major car crash and plenty of rubble.
A couple of vehicles have also been spotted: a cool sports car (black, obviously) and a futuristic-looking bus (we’ll let you guess the colour).
Men in Black 4 reboot trailer – nothing to see here, yet
We know there’s footage in the can already but it will be a while before we get to see any of those sci-fi goodies onscreen. Until then here’s Agent J to help you forget there’s no footage.
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