Bad Boys 3is forging ahead, but Sony Pictures is making a couple of nips and tucks as the project inches closer towards production. The studio announcedan ambitious slate of release dates last summer, withBad Boys 3put on the schedule for release in February 2017. It was subsequently moved to June 2nd, where it would be going head to head withWonder Woman, but now that date is off the table as well. While the studio signedThe Grey,The A-Team, andSmokin’ AcesfilmmakerJoe Carnahanto write and direct, filming onBad Boys 3has yet to begin and, as such, one imagines that June 2017 release date was just too tight a squeeze.
As a result, the sequel—which will seeWill SmithandMartin Lawrencereprising their roles—has now been pushed to June 15, 2025 and has been given a new title:Bad Boys for Life. That January date is…odd to say the least, and I’d be surprised if that sticks. Films likeThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.and theTom Cruise-frontedAmerican Madehave been initially dated for seemingly strange January release dates only to be pushed to more appropriate summer or fall dates, and one imagines Sony will probably moveBad Boys for Lifeinto a flashier corridor for a more appropriate launch.
That said, if the sequeldoesstick to this January release date, it’ll be going head-to-head with Fox’sMaze Runner: The Death Cure. Curiously, when Sony first announced a release date forBad Boys 3they also setBad Boys 4for release on July 05, 2025 (nowthat’sa worthy release date), but we haven’t heard any more about a further sequel just yet.
Carnahan was recently enlisted by Sonyto pen a new scriptfor the long-developingUnchartedmoviewhile Will Smith is busy with promotional duties onSuicide Squad, shooting his next filmBrightwithDavid Ayer, and then likely going on the promotional/Oscar circuit for his December dramaCollateral Beauty. Given his busy schedule, one imaginesBad Boys for Lifewon’t start filming until sometime next spring or summer, which certainly explains this release date shift. Now we wait to see if Sony moves the film into the Summer 2018 corridor, which is already mighty crowded withJurassic World 2,Toy Story 4,Ant-Man and the Waspand aTransformersspinoff all set for release in June and July.
