The concept of solving crime is serious business, but if there exists anyone who could possibly make it humourous, that would be the bad boys of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett. Played by Will Smith and co-star Martin Lawrence, the pair have, in the years since the first Bad Boys film arrived in 1995, built an action-packed, comedic franchise that has withstood the test of time. After what seemed like its final hoorah with 2020’s Bad Boys For Life, the franchise has gone on to add a fourth installment. The sequel was initially plagued by industry strikes in 2023, but months after resuming production, Bad Boys 4 has now officially wrapped filming.
The announcement comes from Smith who, while giving the exciting update via his Instagram profile, also offered the first official look at the sequel. Smith took to his social media to share an image from the movie, seeing him alongside Lawrence reprising their roles as Miami-Dade detectives, Lowrey and Burnett. The two longtime friends are pictured fist-bumping as they stand in front of a Ferris wheel. The post was captioned, “WRAPPED! Nothin’ but Magic every time I’m with my guy. See y’all June 7 for BADBOYS 4!!“
Smith is quite right, the duo of himself and Lawrence have, in the three previous installments of the franchise, produced serious magic for Sony. The box office numbers for the studio would attest as much. With Bad Boys For Life‘s final tally of $426 million at the box office, which brought the franchise’s total to $840 million worldwide, the third film proved to be the most successful installment of the franchise. The decision to return for another run could prove to be a commercial goldmine.
Now just one year short of being three decades old, the Bad Boys franchise will for its fourth, and possibly final run welcome back some familiar faces. It was revealed recently that Jacob Scipio who plays Armando Aretas, the estranged son of Will Smith’s character, will return for another run in Bad Boys 4 after his explosive introduction in Bad Boys for Life. Other stars set to return include Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, and DJ Khaled. The role of Theresa Burnett, the wife of Lawrence’s character, who was previously portrayed by Theresa Randle, has been recast with Tasha Smith taking over. Bad Boys For Life directors, Adil El ArbiandBilall Fallah will be returning with some newcomers to the cast, including Rhea Seehorn, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, and Joyner Lucas.
Bad Boys 4 will premiere on June 7, 2024. See the new set image below.
