Will Smith was back on set with friend and co-star Martin Lawrence as the duo filmed for the upcoming fourth installment in the Bad Boys series.
The duo was photographed in Atlanta, Georgia, as they created what appears to be quite the scene for the upcoming action comedy film.
The actor’s projects seemed on pause after his incident at the 2022 Academy Awards in which Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
It resulted in a band from the Academy for 10 years, with many people speculating that Smith might not return to making movies for quite a while.
However, Smith is back making movies, with one arriving on Apple TV last year and more in progress.
That includes reprising his character, Detective Mike Lowrey, in the Bad Boys 4 film, which includes Lawrence returning as his sidekick Marcus Miles Burnett.
Will Smith appears on set with Martin Lawrence for Bad Boys 4
Several images surfaced from the set of Bad Boys 4 as spectators noticed filming was happening in Atlanta. A Twitter user posted photos and video clips from the production.
Smith is in street clothes, wearing a green shirt as his co-star Lawrence wears a hospital gown. Based on details from TMZ, the duo may have been filming a scene where Smith’s Det. Lowrey is talking his friend Marcus off a ledge.
One of TMZ’s images even shows the friends hugging it out, likely after Lawrence’s character decided not to jump.
In addition to Smith and Lawrence returning as their characters for the film, Vanessa Hudgens will reprise her role as Kelly. Hudgens first appeared in Bad Boys 3.
Additional cast members include Alexander Ludwig, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Paola Nunez, and Tasha Smith. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct, with the movie written by Chris Bremner and George Gallo.
Not much is known about the upcoming fourth Bad Boys movie’s plot, but it’s likely to include more of the laughs and action that have made the franchise a hit with fans since the original 1995.
Atlanta, the city for Bad Boys 4’s filming, was in the news last month as it was also the filming location for Back in Action, a movie starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. Foxx was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical condition while filming. The project continued with stunt and body doubles as he recovered.
Lawrence was among those who provided comments about Foxx’s situation, giving an update and expressing that his thoughts and prayers were with the Oscar winner.
Based on a recent update from Foxx’s daughter, Corinne Foxx, the actor is out of the hospital and recuperating.
Lawrence spoke about getting Smith for the original Bad Boys movie
With the original Bad Boys movie achieving success in 1995, it wasn’t until 2003 that a sequel came out. The Bad Boys II film made nearly double what the movie first made at the box office, but it took another 17 years to continue the series.
The third installment arrived just a few years ago with Bad Boys for Life. Smith and Lawrence appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss how their pairing for the film came about.
Lawrence said he was initially cast for Bad Boys, and his sister suggested he get Smith to do the movie with him. He said they had dinner, and “five minutes after talking to Will, he got the job.”
“It was one of the best things I’ve ever done, and now Will’s the franchise. You can’t do it without him,” Lawrence said of his co-star.
Smith will now return to that familiar role, even while some thought his acting career might suffer after the infamous slap at the Oscars. Since that incident, he starred in the Apple TV film, Emancipation, which he also co-produced.
As of this writing, there’s no official release date for the fourth installment in the Bad Boys film series.
In addition to Bad Boys 4, there are several other movies on Smith’s list of future projects. They’ll include a Planes, Trains & Automobiles remake, the action thriller Fast and Loose, and the crime drama film The Council.