Will Smith & Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys For Life officially wraps production

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Over the weekend, the man who thinks that parents just don't understand, Will Smith, took to his personal Instagram account to announce that BAD BOYS FOR LIFE has wrapped production. In the post, Smith and his Bad Boys co-star, Martin Lawrence, can be seen chillin' out, maxin', and relaxin' all cool with a pair of matching umbrellas outside of the school … I mean set, of their long-awaited action sequel.

In the new film, the Miami PD and its elite AMMO teams attempt to take down Armando Armas (Scipio), head of a drug cartel. Armando is a cold-blooded killer with a vicious, taunting nature. He is committed to the work of the cartel and is dispatched by his mother to kill Mike (Smith). Meanwhile, Paola Nuñez (THE SON, RUNNER) will take on the role of Rita, a tough and funny criminal psychologist who is the newly appointed head of AMMO and Mike’s former girlfriend- and the one who got away.

In addition to Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprising their roles as Agents Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively, Joe Pantoliano will also return as Captain Howard. The trio will then be joined by Vanessa Hudgens (SPRING BREAKERS, BEASTLY), Alexander Ludwig (VIKINGS, FINAL GIRLS), and Charles Melton (AMRICAN HORROR STORY, RIVERDALE), who will combine their talents to form an elite police unit that clashes with Lowrey and Burnett's old school approach to fighting crime. Jacob Scipio (HUNTER KILLER, BOB THE BUILDER) will also star as Armando Armas.

While the first two BAD BOYS films were directed by Michael Bay, Belgium filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are set to helm BAD BOYS FOR LIFE from a screenplay by Peter Craig, Joe Carnahan, and Chris Bremmer.

While I've not seen the Bad Boys films in quite some time, I will admit that I'm rather curious about the upcoming sequel. Smith and Martin's screen chemistry has always been solid, and the addition of some intriguing new characters might be exactly what this project needs to become a bonafide action blockbuster, provided that all contributing parties bring their A-game to the table.

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE is set to explode into theaters on January 17, 2020.