New ‘Men in Black’ Movie in the Works, and the Studio Hopes Will Smith Would Return

The Men in Black are back in action.

A new film in the franchise is on the way from Sony Pictures, with Bad Boys for Life scriptwriter Chris Bremner on board to pen the fifth film in the beloved sci-fi comedy series.

According to Deadline, Will Smith has not yet signed on to appear in the film but Sony “hopes” that Smith will reprise his role of Agent J once he receives the script.

Men in Black is one of Sony’s most valuable IPs, with a combined $1.9 billion at the box office across four films. All but the last film starred Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, who work as part of a top-secret government organization tasked with monitoring alien activity on Earth and keeping the existence of extraterrestrial life a secret from the American public. It’s yet another billion-dollar franchise for Smith after Bad Boys.

The previous film in the franchise, 2019’s Men in Black: International, did not feature Smith or Jones. This time, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson took over as leads. It received negative reviews and was a box office bomb, so it’s no surprise that the studio wants Smith to return.

Bremner, who will write this newest Men in Black, has also become something of a close collaborator with Smith, having written the last two Bad Boys films (which combined for $837 million) and the upcoming Netflix thriller Fast & Loose, which will be Smith’s next on-screen appearance.