After ‘Bad Boys 2’, there were always plans to continue the explosive buddy cop series with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence – but these repeatedly fizzled out over the years. In 2020 – and therefore more than 17 (!) years after part 2 – Michael Bay successors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were able to present a third part with ‘Bad Boys For Life’ and successfully revive the franchise.
After a worldwide gross of $426.5 million (with production costs of $90 million), “Bad Boys 4” should pick up speed. And in fact – despite some stumbles such as the controversy surrounding Will Smith’s Oscar blow – the first release for the next sequel, which will be released in 2024, was released in April 2023. However, filming currently has to be halted indefinitely due to the actors’ and actresses’ strike in Hollywood.
To bridge the waiting time, the directing duo has a podcast on the website but now we’ve talked a bit outside the box and, among other things, revealed what they would like to call the fourth “Bad Boys”…
“Bad Boys 4” = “Bad Boys Ride or Die”?
“We like the title – and I don’t know yet if the suggestion is real [vom Studio] is accepted – is ‘Bad Boys Ride Or Die’“Because ‘Bad Boys 4 Life’ was already taken,” explains Adil El Arbi referring to the fact that part 3 already has this last title, although it would actually have been better for part 4 because the word “for” could also be rewritten with the number 4, which sounds the same in English.
“Ride or die” can be literally translated as “ride or die”, but as a fixed phrase it mainly describes very close relationships between people who go through thick and thin together – which goes very well with friends Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) pass. They too are willing to face and overcome any challenge together, no matter how great it is, or to fail (or even die, if you take it very literally).
More comedy in “Bad Boys 4”
The somewhat ominous title does not mean that ‘Bad Boys 4’ is more serious and darker than its three predecessors – on the contrary, as El Arbi makes clear: “There will be a lot more comedy. The third had a more dramatic tone. Our goal with this is to make people laugh and make sure they have fun at the cinema.”
We can only hope that this focus doesn’t come at the expense of the usual hard-hitting action that balanced the humor in the first three parts. In less than a year we need to be smarter: “Bad Boys 4” is expected to premiere in German cinemas on June 13, 2024 – although depending on the duration of the aforementioned strikes, it remains to be seen whether the date will have to be postponed again.
The climax of Marcus’ story
In addition to Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, the younger police officers around Vanessa Hudgens, known from the immediate predecessor around Vanessa Hudgens, Charles Melton and Alexander Ludwig and their superior Paola Núñez return in part 4. New additions include “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn, ex-“Fantastic Four” leader Ioan Gruffudd and “Grey’s Anatomy” doctor Eric Dane (probably as villain).
However, newcomer Tasha Smith (“Empire”) will take on a familiar role, replacing Theresa Randle as Marcus Burnett’s wife Theresa. This could also have a slightly bigger meaning, since “Bad Boys 4” aka “Bad boys ride or dieAccording to El Arbi and Fallah, Marcus should move more to the center and represent the pinnacle of his history.