Chris Bremner Is Writing The Fifth 'Men In Black' Film
Image Source: Alpha Coders
The galaxy’s greatest defenders are back in business, back in action, and back in black! It’s officially been confirmed that a fifth Men in Black film is in the works, with Chris Bremner penning the screenplay! Bremner is best known for co-writing the recent Adil & Bilall-helmed Bad Boys films; For Life and Ride or Die. It’s currently unknown if Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will reprise their iconic roles as Agent J and Agent K, respectively.
Based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name by Lowell Cunningham, the franchise centers on a secret government organization that specializes in taking down extraterrestrial threats. The first Men in Black was released in 1997 and starred Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rip Torn, and Tony Shalhoub, and was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (hot of the success of his Addams Family duology and Get Shorty). The film received critical acclaim with praise for its screenplay, Sonnenfeld’s direction, the performances (particularly those of Jones, Smith, and D’Onofrio), the production design, creature makeup, and Danny Elfman’s musical score. It was a box office success, grossing over $589.4 million worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1997 under James Cameron’s Titanic. It topped Tim Burton’s Batman to become the highest-grossing comic book movie of all time until Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man outgrossed it in 2002. The film earned three Oscar nominations and won for Best Makeup. It also earned 8 Saturn Award nominations, winning for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Supporting Actor for Vincent D’Onofrio, and Best Music for Danny Elfman. Since its release, Men in Black has been hailed as a quintessential summer blockbuster, as one of the greatest comic book movies ever made, as one of the most iconic comedies of the 90s, and as the film to fully cement Will Smith’s reputation as a leading man. Men in Black also spawned an equally successful single by Smith of the same name, which earned him his third Grammy.
Men in Black’s success spawned an entire media empire which included a chart-topping soundtrack, a still-active theme park ride at Universal Orlando Resort, a cult favorite animated series, and a large stream of merchandise. The first sequel, Men in Black II, was released in 2002 with most of the original cast and crew returning. While the film received praise for its performances and visual effects, it was largely considered to be inferior to the original. It grossed $445 million worldwide and became the 5th highest-grossing film of 2002. After years of development hell, lawsuits, script issues, and Smith’s busy schedule, Men in Black 3 released in 2012. Critics praised the performances (particularly Josh Brolin’s as a young Agent K), makeup, and premise but were critical of its tone and deemed it inferior to the original. Men in Black 3 grossed $654.2 million worldwide becoming the 10th highest-grossing film of 2012, the highest-grossing Men in Black film, and the 5th highest-grossing film starring Smith. A standalone sequel titled Men in Black: International was released in 2019 and starred Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson (hot off the success of Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok) and was directed by F. Gary Gray (hot off the successes of Straight Outta Compton and The Fate of the Furious). Despite reliable leads and a solid director, the film was plagued with behind the scenes issues and creative differences. Men in Black: International received largely negative reviews from critics who lambasted its script, humor, characters, action sequences, and lack of originality. Some critics gave positive mentions to the performances of Hemsworth and Thompson. It also underperformed at the box office, only grossing $254 million worldwide.
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Source: Variety
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