Yesterday, it was widely reported that Disney wants superstar Will Smith to headline their upcoming live-action remake ofDumbo.Varietyran a second report, this time revealing that Tom Hanks is wanted as the villain. But perhaps most disturbing about all of this is the fate of long-anticipated sequelBad Boys for Lifecould be determined by the elephant with the oversized ears.
Yes, according to the trade paper, if Will Smith takes the lead role inDumbo, it will definitely delayBad Boys 3. They then go onto say that it could cause the sequel to be ‘shelved entirely’. This is surely disappointing news to all the action fans who have waited 15 years for a follow-up to Michael Bay’s classicBad Boys 2. But it also calls into question, what exactly is going on withBad Boys for Life?
Though it has had its release date bumped a few times already, Sony Pictures set Bad Boys 3 with aJanuary 12, 2018release date. It won’t hit that mark if Will Smith takes on Dumbo instead, as shooting would overlap, and Dumbo becomes the priority. Sony was so confident in the Bad Boys franchise that they even set a July 2019 release forBad Boys 4. It’s possible that Bad Boys 4 could get scrapped and Bad Boys 3 will take its place three summers from now. But nothing is confirmed just yet.
As of right now,Will Smithis only in talks with Disney about Dumbo, and his deal is far from closed. If Disney convinces theSuicide Squadstar to board this retelling of the classic Disney fairy tale, it will have a serious effect on the Bad Boy franchise and its future. While some speculated yesterday that Will Smith may be playing the elephant via CG in Dumbo, as the actors did in The Jungle Book, he is actually up for a human role. If he takes the part, he will play father to the children that befriend Dumbo in the Tim Burton directed update.
The last we heard about Bad Boys for Life, Will Smith was assuring everyone thatproduction would start very soon, though he wouldn’t reveal an exact start date. Martin Lawrence is expected to return alongside Will Smith, but that has never been 100% confirmed by the studio. And for a while, Will Smith was on the fence about even starring in the movie, contemplating a producer role only as two new leads took over the franchise.
Joe Carnahanwill take over directorial duties onBad Boys 3from Michael Bay when and if it happens. He’s been hard at work on the script for quite a while now, also writingUnchartedfor Shawn Levy to direct. Will Smith just wrapped production on the Netflix original movieBrightwhich reteams him with hisSuicide Squaddirector David Ayer. He was last seen in the December flopCollateral Beauty.
