Will Smith cancels special performance at Grammys as filming for 'Bad Boys 4' begins
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA : The Recording Academy celebrated 50 years of hip-hop at the 65th Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 6, 2023. According to Questlove, Will Smith was supposed to be part of the tribute but had to back out of the surprise appearance. The musician confirmed the cancelation of Smith's scheduled appearance.
"I'll give the spoiler alert away. Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started filming 'Bad Boys 4' this week," Questlove said. If Smith had participated in the event, it would have been their first collaborative effort since Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars shortly before Questlove won Best Documentary for his movie 'Summer of Soul.' Questlove went on to say that he knew getting Smith for the tribute was “a shot in the dark,” because the actor is “always shooting movies."
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What do we know about 'Bad Boys 4' so far?
Following the success of 'Bad Boys for Life,' directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah returned to direct 'Bad Boys 4,' which was said to be in pre-production in January 2023. Martin Lawrence and Smith will both make a comeback in their upcoming film. Jerry Bruckheimer and Will Smith's Westbrook Productions will produce the sequel. Lawrence is joined by James Lassiter, Barry Waldman, Mike Stenson and Jon Mone, Doug Belgrad and Chad Oman as producers.
'Bad Boys 4' was in pre-production since 2021
Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony, said the film had already gone into production in May 2022. He said it has been in pre-production since 2021. It's unclear if Smith's incident at the Oscars had any impact on plot development or anything else. Smith is yet to be linked to a major star since last year, which makes the future of 'Bad Boys 4' a bit complicated.
"[Bad Boys 4] That movie's been in development and still is. There weren't any brakes to pump because the car wasn't moving," said Rothman. "That was a very unfortunate thing that happened [at the Oscars], and I don't think it's really my place to comment, except to say that I've known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person. That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret is genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption."