Will Smith is back to throwing hands — for good, this time — in Sony’s first trailer for its new “Bad Boys” movie. Along with the trailer, we got a title: “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.” Hell yes.
Smith and his sidekick Martin Lawrence are back up to their old antics in the June 7 film. Four years removed from “Bad Boys 3,” in what we’ve all just colloquially called “Bad Boys 4” to this point, Smith’s Mike Lowrey is still a badass. Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett, well, he has a lot going on — including tummy issues. (A word of advice to Marcus: ginger ale is only a magic elixir if you forego the Skittles and convenience-store hot dog.)
The storyline goes a little something like this: Joe Pantoliano’s Capt. Conrad Howard is either dead or just being framed for a string of crimes he did not commit. He needs his Bad Boys now more than ever. And maybe so do we.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is directed by Adil & Bilall from a script written by Chris Bremner. It is produced by star Smith, Jerry Bruckheimer, Chad Oman, and Doug Belgrad. The executive producers are Smith’s co-star Lawrence, as well as Barry Waldman, Mike Stenson, James Lassiter, Jon Mone, and Chris Bremner.’”Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is directed by Adil & Bilall from a script written by Chris Bremner. It is produced by star Smith, Jerry Bruckheimer, Chad Oman, and Doug Belgrad. The executive producers are Smith’s co-star Lawrence, as well as Barry Waldman, Mike Stenson, James Lassiter, Jon Mone, and Chris Bremner.
In addition to Smith, Lawrence, and Joey Pants, “Bad Boys 4” also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nuñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, and Tiffany Haddish.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” comes out on theaters on June 7. Watch the trailer below.
“Bay Boys” premiered in April 1995 and grossed $141 million worldwide. The film spurred two sequels, with “Bad Boys II” earning $273 million in 2003 and “Bad Boys for Life” grossing $426 million after releasing in January 2020.
The future of the franchise has always been up in the air, but perhaps never more than after Smith smacked Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars. At the time, “Bad Boys 4” was still in development, and Smith had his hands on an early draft of (a portion of) the script.
“We got one more (film) at least,” Lawrence told Ebony in a July 2022 cover story. Around the same time, Sony Chairman Tom Rothman told Deadline the film remained in development.
Of the slap itself, Rothman said: “That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, 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.”
