March 26, 2024
@willsmith/Instagram
'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' once again focuses on the Miami cops played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The sequel comes over four years after the successful installment 'Bad Boys for Life.'
The boys are back.
After "Bad Boys for Life" became a box office smash in January 2020, a fourth film in the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence franchise was inevitable.
Since the 2020 movie already took the perfect title, the new movie is "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," and it's hitting theaters this summer.
The trailer shows the duo of Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) up to their usual hijinks. When their former captain (Joe Pantoliano) is posthumously accused of working with drug cartels, Lowrey and Burnett swear to clear his name.
The pair of Miami cops soon find themselves on the run and will have to solve the case off the books. Joining them on the adventure is Armando (Jacob Scipio), the villain of the previous film who was revealed to be Lowrey's son.
The trailer shows glimpses of a villain played by Eric Dane ("Euphoria") and an agent played by Rhea Seehorn ("Better Call Saul") tasked with capturing the protagonists.
Judging from the rest of the trailer, "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" will feature the same explosive set piece action sequences that the series is known for. The filmmaking pair of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah returns to direct after helming the last installment.
The trailer comes almost exactly two years after Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards. "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" is Smith's first production since the incident, after which he won the Oscar for his performance in "King Richard."
Since then, Smith's only film appearance has been in the 2022 Civil War-era film "Emancipation." Smith also appeared in his first video game in 2023 with "Undawn," which was reported last week to have "flopped spectacularly," and he's set to play an Iraq War veteran-turned-vigilante in the film "Sugar Bandits."
The "Bad Boys" series started in 1995, with a sequel in 2003. "Bad Boys for Life" was the franchise's return after a 17-year hiatus marred with delays for the third film. "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" will hit theaters on June 7.
