Outside of a couple episodes of “Snowfall” and some indie titles, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were relatively unknown before the release of the big-budget action film, “Bad Boys for Life.” But that film would go on to earn more than $426 million worldwide and reignite audiences’ love of the long-dormant franchise. Since then, they’ve gone on to direct “Batgirl” (never released), “Ms. Marvel,” and the upcoming “Rebel.” But now, after a break, the duo are back for “Bad Boys 4,” and they’re willing to tease a little bit.
Speaking on an upcoming episode of The Playlist’s “The Discourse” podcast, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah teased what people can expect from the currently untitled “Bad Boys” sequel. While they didn’t give away any sort of plot details, it does seem as if the film will have a slightly lighter tone, even if it does have a bit more of a grim title.
“Well, you know, the title that we like – I don’t know that they’re going to go for it yet – would be like ‘Bad Boys Ride or Die’ because ‘Bad Boys 4 Life’ is already taken. We didn’t know there was going to be a fourth one, you know?” said El Arbi. “But yeah, what’s going to happen in this one is, I think that there’s going to be way more comedy. The third one had the dramatic tone. With this one, it’s really our purpose to get people laughing and having a good time in the theater. Martin [Lawrence] is going to a higher level in this one. This is the culmination of the Marcus Burnett arc.”
Unfortunately for El Arbi and Fallah, the filming of “Bad Boys 4” was shut down due to the SAG strike. It’s unclear when production will resume once again, as it doesn’t seem as if the strike is ending anytime soon. That said, “Bad Boys 4” will not only have audiences excited because it’s a beloved action franchise, but it will also serve as the big return for Will Smith who made headlines a couple of years ago for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. It’ll be interesting to see how general audiences receive Smith, who has only released the drama “Emancipation” since.
Regardless, “Bad Boys 4” is likely shaping up to be a fun time at the movies. And that’s about all you can expect from a film in the franchise.
–Additional reporting by Mike DeAngelo