'Bad Boys 4' in development confirms producer

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed that a fourth Bad Boys film is in development.

Released into cinemas on 17 January before cinemas closed, Bad Boys For Life is currently 2020’s highest-grossing movie so far having taken $419 million (£337 million) at the global box office.

Now, while promoting the home entertainment release of the film, its producer has teased plans for a fourth instalment in Michael Bay’s Will Smith-Martin Lawrence action franchise.

“We had a great experience on the first one, both through the development process with Tom Rothman [chair of Sony] and his team, and then through the editing process and filming process,” Bruckheimer told Collider.

“We put together, along with their help, a movie that’s very satisfying for the audience, and we’d like to do it again, and I think they’d like us to do it again. We’re currently working on a draft for the fourth one.”

Coming 17 years after 2003’s Bad Boys II, Bad Boys For Life reunited Will Smith’s Mike Lowrey with Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett for another Miami-set crime caper.

Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah directed from a screenplay by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan from a story by Craig and Carnahan.

Read more: Bad Boys’ original cast revealed

In January this year, it was revealed that Bremner had been tapped by Sony Pictures to write a script for the fourth film. He’s also working on National Treasure 3, another Bruckheimer production, for Disney.

Talking to E! Online in January, Smith said a fourth film would happen if audiences showed up for Bad Boys For Life.

“We’re going to wait for the audience,” Smith said. “When the movie comes out this weekend – and we absolutely love working together – we would certainly be willing to do it again if the audience loves the chemistry.”

Bad Boys For Life arrives on home entertainment formats in the UK in May.