Bad Boys for Life is the third film in the Bad Boys franchise. The franchise started in 1995 with the first film Bad Boys.
The new installment sees the return of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the starring roles. So let’s find out some trivia and facts about the new film!
- Bad Boys for Life is a 2020 American action comedy film
- It is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
- It is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith and Doug Belgrad Starring Smith and Martin Lawrence
- The film is the sequel to Bad Boys II (2003)
- It is the third film in the Bad Boys franchise
- The film follows detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett reuniting once again when someone starts murdering people involved in an old case
- The film co-stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Núñez, Kate del Castillo, Nicky Jam, and Joe Pantoliano
- A third Bad Boys film was discussed after the success of the second
- With Michael Bay stating he would be interested in returning to direct but budget constraints would make it difficult
- The film went through several attempts at development over the next decade
- With various writers and directors attached
- The project was finally announced in October 2018
- Filming took place from January through June 2019 in Atlanta and Miami
- Bad Boys for Life was theatrically released in the United States on January 17, 2020, by Sony Pictures Releasing through Columbia Pictures
- It received generally favorable reviews
- With some critics calling it the best of the series
- In June 2008, Michael Bay (director of the first two Bad Boys films) stated that he may direct Bad Boys III
- But that the greatest obstacle to the potential sequel would be the cost
- As he and Will Smith demand some of the highest salaries in the film industry
- By August 2009, Columbia Pictures had hired Peter Craig to write the script for Bad Boys III
- In February 2011, Martin Lawrence reiterated that the film was in development
- In June 2014, Bruckheimer announced that screenwriter David Guggenheim was working on the storyline for the sequel
- Two months later, Lawrence said a script had been written and parts had been cast
- By June 2015, director Joe Carnahan was in early talks to write and possibly direct the film
- In August 2015, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that Bad Boys III would be released on February 17, 2017
- And that additional sequel, Bad Boys IV, is scheduled for release on July 3, 2019
- On March 5, 2016, the film was pushed to June 2, 2017
- Producers planned to begin production in early 2017
- On August 11, 2016, the film was pushed back once again to January 12, 2018, to avoid box office competition with the upcoming DC Comics film Wonder Woman, and retitled Bad Boys for Life
- Lawrence revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that filming may start in March 2017
- On February 6, 2017, it was announced that the film’s release date has been delayed for the third time, to November 9, 2018
- On March 7, 2017, Carnahan left the movie due to scheduling conflicts
- In August 2017, Sony removed the third film from their release schedule
- Later in the month Lawrence said the film would not be happening
- In February 2018, it was reported that a sequel film was again being planned and would be directed by Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprising their roles
- According to Geek Worldwide, the third installment in the Bad Boys franchise will film from November 2018 to March 2019 in Miami and Atlanta with the release date scheduled for January 17, 2020
- In October 2018, Variety revealed that Sony was close to green-lighting the film’s production
- In December 2018, it was reported that Joe Pantoliano, who played Captain Howard in the previous films would return to play the character
- In February 2019, Kate del Castillo joined the cast of the film
- In March 2019, it was reported that Theresa Randle, who played Marcus’s wife, Theresa, in the previous films would also return to play the character
- Principal photography began on January 14, 2019 in downtown Atlanta, Georgia
- It wrapped on June 7, 2019 in Miami Beach, Florida
- The film was composed by Lorne Balfe
- Both trailers for the film included an remix/mashup of “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle (the franchise’s theme) and “Bad Boy for Life” by P. Diddy, Black Rob and Mark Curry
- An official soundtrack album to the film, entitled Bad Boys for Life: The Soundtrack was announced by its executive producer, DJ Khaled
- It is scheduled for release on the same day as the film
- Artists The Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin released a song titled “Ritmo”, which served as a lead single on October 11, 2019 for the film’s soundtrack
- The 10 song soundtrack also features tracks by Meek Mill, City Girls, Quavo, Rick Ross, Rich the Kid, Bryson Tiller, Nicky Jam, Daddy Yankee, Jaden Smith, Farruko, Pitbull, Lil Jon, Buju Banton and DJ Durel
- In the United States and Canada, Bad Boys for Life was released alongside Dolittle
- It is projected to gross $35 to 45 million from 3,740 theaters in its opening weekend
- And a total of around $48 million over the four-day MLK weekend
- The film made $6.36 million from Thursday night previews
- The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 75%
- Based on 127 reviews
- With an average rating of 6.03/10
- The website’s critics consensus reads: “Loaded up with action and a double helping of leading-man charisma, Bad Boys for Life reinvigorates this long-dormant franchise by playing squarely to its strengths”
- On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100
- Based on 40 critics
- Indicating “mixed or average reviews”
- Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an average 4.5 out of 5 stars, with 73% saying they would definitely recommend it
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