Will Smith & Martin Lawrence Dish on What It’ll Take to Make Bad Boys 5 (2024)

Are Will Smith and Martin Lawrence really bad boys for life? In what has been a disappointing summer movie season, one of the bright spots has been the financial performance of Bad Boys: Ride or Die at the worldwide box office. With an opening-weekend take of $104.6 million, the fourth installment surely won’t be the last in the popular action series. Or will it? Smith and Lawrence speak to the possibility of returning as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett respectively for Bad Boys 5 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Lawrence says:

Smith, who is now 55 years old, jests that more Bad Boys will rely on a younger generation of performers:

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

R

Action

Adventure

Comedy

3/5

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the fourth installment in the action-comedy film series starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The series centers on hard-boiled Miami detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett, who take on dangerous drug kingpins and thwart dangerous schemes as they attempt to stop the circulation of illicit drugs in their city. This time, Miami's finest are the ones on the run.

Release Date

June 7, 2024

Director

Adil El Arbi , Bilall Fallah

Cast

Will Smith , Martin Lawrence , Vanessa Hudgens , Alexander Ludwig , Paola Núñez , Eric Dane , Ioan Gruffudd , Tasha Smith

Writers

Chris Bremner

Studio(s)

Columbia Pictures , 2.0 Entertainment , Don Simpson Films , Jerry Bruckheimer Films , Westbrook Studios

Distributor(s)

Sony Pictures Releasing

prequel(s)

Bad Boys (1995) , Bad Boys 2 , Bad Boys for Life

Franchise(s)

Bad Boys

Smith adds:

"It is a world and characters that are just an absolute joy to be with. In a movie theater with Mike and Marcus, it just feels like home. So, as long as there's a reason — I never wanted to be one of those dudes who make sequels just because people will go.

I want to make them because there is something to say, and the characters have a place that they're developing to... that will be interesting and fun to watch and maybe even a little helpful."

‘You’ve Got to Give the Fans What They Want’

While the summertime blues continue at the 2024 box office,Bad Boys: Ride or Die has already made back more than its $100-million production budget. And even nearly 30 years after the original film debuted back in 1995, fans still seem eager to see more of Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett’s (Lawrence) big-screen adventures. Plus, Lawrence knows that the fanbase will ultimately dictate if there is enough demand for Bad Boys 5. Lawrence said in the same interview:

"We always have so much fun making these movies, and you’ve got to give the fans what they want. Will and I have a great time working together, so as long as the fans want it and the demand is there, I’ll keep trying to give them what they want."

Smith added by asking the question:

Currently, Bad Boys: Ride or Die boasts the best audience score on Rotten Tomatoes of the entire film franchise, registering at 97% against 1,000+ verified ratings. While it ultimately won’t be the best box office performer of 2024’s summer movie season, particularly with Deadpool & Wolverine waiting to drop on July 26, there are still plenty of reasons to believe Mike and Marcus will team up again on the Silver Screen.