The long-gestating "Bad Boys 3" seems to be back on track at Sony, with two new directors being lined up to helm the buddy cop action comedy.
Deadline reports the studio is in talks with Moroccan filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to take on the third installment and is looking to start production as early as this August. Both directors are best known for their work on FX's "Snowfall" and "Black," a Romeo and Juliet type of story set in Belgium. Apart from "Bad Boys 3," they are also set to helm another pre-2000 cop film, "Beverly Hills Cop 4."
"Bad Boys 3," also known as "Bad Boys for Life," has been a major talking point since the franchise's 2003 sequel arrived in theaters. At one point, it was scheduled to arrive in February 2017 but got pushed back due to conflicting schedules and a revolving door of directors.
According to Screen Rant, Joe Carnahan was once attached to write and direct the film, but he eventually withdrew from the project after several delays. Shortly after, "Bad Boys 3" was scrapped from Sony's slate. Should El Arbi and Fallah close a deal with Sony, they will direct the third installment based on the script penned by first-time writer Chris Bremner.
The "Bad Boys" franchise is one of the staples of the buddy cop genre. Helmed by "Transformer" director Michael Bay, the first two films, released in 1995 and 2003, respectively, grossed a total of $414.7 million worldwide. It catapulted Will Smith into a global star and put his partner, Martin Lawrence, on the A-list.
"Bad Boys 3" is still in development and has no release date at the moment. However, assuming things go smoothly this time, "Bad Boys for Life" could arrive in theaters by late 2019 with Smith and Martin reprising their roles of Detective Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively.
