It sounds like Michael Bay and Will Smith‘s reunion on Netflix‘s “Fast And Loose” isn’t happening anymore. THR reports that Bay has exited the upcoming actioner, citing creative differences with the actor. Bay first signed onto the project last October. It’s unclear who will replace him, but Netflix still looks to start shooting the film in 2026.
“Fast And Loose” stars Smith as a crime boss who wakes up in Tijuana with no memory of who he is, only to gradually realize he’s been living a double life as a CIA agent. Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Chris Bremner, and Eric Pearson pen the script together, with the Hoebers writing the original script pitched to Netflix. The film would’ve been Bay and Smiths’ first time working together since 2003’s “Bad Boy II,” but director and star were at odds at what tone should steer the project. Bay wanted to lean into action, while Smith wanted a more comedic bent. With Bay now gone, expect Smith’s sensibility to influence whomever signs on as director next.
Bay’s exit throws another wrench in Smith’s plans for a full career comeback after the actor’s 2022 Oscars ceremony fiasco. But “Fast And Loose” has been in development even before Smith slapped Chris Rock that evening. David Leitch was originally set to helm the film, but he left the project a week before Oscars Night 2022 to work on “The Fall Guy” instead. Now it’s anybody’s film to make with Bay gone. Producers on the film include Leitch and Kelly McCormick via 87 North, and Smith, with Robert Simonds and Noah Fogelson as executive producers via STXfilms.
But what will Michael Bay make next? The director hasn’t made a film since the 2022 actioner “Ambulance.” The answer may be the video game adaptation “OutRun,” with Sydney Sweeney set to star. Or it could be “Saturation Point,” a sci-fi climate thriller starring Cynthia Erivo. Whatever it is, it won’t be the “Bad Boys” reunion “Fast And Loose” would’ve been, and that’s alright with Bay.
