Detective Lieutenant Michael Eugene “Mike” Lowrey and Detective Lieutenant Marcus Miles Burnett are back. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have reunited for the fourth installment of the cop action comedy franchise Bad Boys with a new film, subtited Ride or Die.
The film is slated for release on June 7, hoping to be part of the summer blockbuster roster. In the first trailer from SONY Pictures, the detectives fight to prove their deceased captain isn’t corrupt, leading to a series of funny yet unfortunate events in Miami. The cast also includes Alexander Ludwig, Vanessa Hudgens, Eric Dane, Tasha Smith, Ioan Gruffudd, Paola Nuñez, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tiffany Haddish, and Joe Pantoliano. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah return as directors after directing the third installment, Bad Boys for Life, which Sony Pictures released in January 2020.
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Longtime friends Smith and Lawrence announced a fourth movie was in the works in January 2023 in an Instagram post that they captioned: “IT’S ABOUT THAT TIME!” They were spotted multiple times throughout the spring of 2023 filming the movie. After Smith’s infamous Oscar slap, many wondered if the film would see the light of day.
The original film debuted in 1995 and chronicled the partners who investigated illegal drug trading in Miami. Its follow-up came in 2003. The last film earned over $420 million worldwide. It was released right before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Watch the trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die above.
While at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony last year, Lawrence spoke about the film’s delays but noted his excitement for the fourth installment. “It has the chance to be the best one of them all and everybody’s doing their thing,” Lawrence told Entertainment Tonight, adding, “we got a lot of the team back from the last one. Big Willie’s doing his thing as always and so focused and, yeah, it has the chance to be the biggest one.”
