Will Smith admits he was unhappy with 'Men In Black' sequel, says 'Bad Boys for Life' isn't a 'cash grab'

'Bad Boys For Life', the third movie in the series starring Smith and Martin Lawrence, is set to hit theatres on January 17
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

If you did not like the third 'Men In Black' movie which released in 2012, you are not alone. Will Smith, Agent J himself, has confirmed that he was disappointed with the movie and hence he took his time with the sequel for 'Bad Boys'.

'Bad Boys For Life', the third movie in the series, starring Smith and Martin Lawrence, is set to release in theatres next week. In his appearance on Jimmy Fallon's 'Tonight Show' on NBC on Thursday night, Smith said how important it was to do the sequel right.

“What we tried to do, that was really critical and important to me, is not try to just do the old movies again,” said Smith, referencing 1995’s 'Bad Boys' and 2003’s 'Bad Boys II'.

“You had to take into consideration the time, had to take into consideration how the characters would have grown. And the reason it took so long is because I didn’t want to make it just as a cash grab. You know, ‘Hey, everybody loves sequels, let’s just do a sequel.’”

Smith then proceeded to throw his past sequels under the bus, saying, “I had fumbled a couple of my last sequels. You know, I wasn’t happy with the 'Men in Black' sequel.”

However, Smith has promised that fans will love the upcoming movie. He said with a laugh, "I’m going to keep it real: sometimes I say ‘y’all are gonna love it,’ and y’all not gonna love it." Smith also added, "You know, ’cause sometimes I’ve seen it, and I know y’all not gonna love it, but it’s an expensive movie. But this time…it is so good.”

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence credited Smith with pushing for the sequel with the right script. Lawrence said, "And he pushed and pushed and pushed for years for them to get the script right. So we finally got the script right, and we did it."

'Bad Boys for Life' is scheduled to be released in the United States on January 17, 2020.

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