Will Smith Gives A Bad Boys 3 Update, And Why He Wants To Do The Sequel

Bad Boys Will Smith Martin Lawrence

Whatcha gonna do, Will Smith? Whatcha gonna do when Bad Boys 3 -- aka Bad Boys for Life -- comes, for you? Well, if the A-list mega-star is to be believed, he's going to sign on the dotted line and begin filming. Following up on the announcement that Martin Lawrence says Bad Boys 3 will begin filming in March 2017, Jimmy Kimmel asked Will Smith if that's accurate, and the man Bad Boys fans know as Mike Lowry came back with this:

It is very, very, very close. It is very, very close. It's very close. ... We do one a decade!

Will Smith is on the talk-show circuit chatting up this season's Collateral Beauty, where he plays a man conversing with human embodiments of feelings and emotions (I know, stay with me here) after his child passes away. But Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity to look ahead and get an update on Bad Boys 3, which has a release date of January 12, 2018. Knowing that, the host likely assumed that Martin Lawrence was correct, and that they WOULD have to start filming soon, so Smith's "very, very" makes sense. Lawrence, also, popped up as one of the main reasons why Smith is even returning for a third chapter in the Bad Boys saga, telling Kimmel:

Let me tell you, I love that dude. That's among the best times I've ever had making movies. So I'm looking forward to it.

In the two previous Bad Boys movies, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence played odd couple Miami detectives who bickered as much with each other as they did with the various criminals they worked to bring down. They're best known for the overwrought Floridians style that director Michael Bay brought to the franchise, as well as the over-the-top stunts and set pieces.

Michael Bay won't be back for Bad Boys for Life, however, as the keys are being handed to The Grey and Smokin' Aces filmmaker Joe Carnahan, who also has been banging away at the screenplay. Everything seems to be on track for the third movie to start production, and while Will Smith didn't drop a hard and fast confirmation, he also didn't distract with a negative spin that should have Bad Boys fanatics (myself, included) concerned. Here's Big Willie Style, in person, dishing on Bad Boys for Life:

We will continue to track the progress of Bad Boys 3, and we expect to know more about the planned sequel as we head into 2017. Until then, Collateral Beauty opens in theaters on December 16, against no other movies at all. At all!

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.