Rafe Spallis the latest to join the upcomingMen in Blackspin-off. Sony is looking to reboot the franchise that originally starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as members of a secret agency who are tasked with handling alien affairs on Earth. In addition to Spall, the twin dancing duo of Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois have also boarded the ensemble. The nature of their roles hasn’t been disclosed just yet as the studio is keeping details under lock and key for now.
The castalready includes Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompsonin the lead roles who are reuniting after the success ofThor: Ragnaroklast year.The Big SickandSilicon Valleystar Kumail Nanjiani also recently secured a role inMen in Black 4, with Liam Hemsworth also on board. Liam Neeson is said to be in talks for the movie but his casting has yet to be confirmed. There’s also no word just yet on whether or not we’ll be seeing any characters from the original trilogy popping up in some capacity.
This marks another major blockbuster for Rafe Spall, who most recently starred as the villain inJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which is currently dominating at the global box office. His other credits include Netflix’sThe Ritual, Steven Spielberg’sThe BFGand the sci-fi seriesBlack Mirror. As for Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois, they got their start with impressive street dancing videos on YouTube and eventually scored roles in Cirque du Soleil’sMichael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. They were also featured on Beyonce’sMrs. Carter Show World Tourand Beyonce and Jay-Z’s jointOn The Run Tour.
This spin-off/reboot takes the place of the potential21 Jump StreetandMen in Blackcrossover that was on the table for some time. The movie was tentatively titledMIB 23and seemingly got close to happening, but ultimately the studio decided tohead in a far less risky direction. While the idea of a crossover such as that seems like it could be pretty interesting and different, it’s also not difficult to see why Sony would decide to go with something like this instead. Though, if this movie does well maybe they will circle back to the idea at a later time.
F. Gary Gray, director ofThe Fate of The FuriousandThe Italian Job, has been tapped to helm the newMen in Blackmovie for Sony. The script comes from Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, best known for their work onIron Man. Filming is expected to begin next month in London, England, with a release date set for July 02, 2025, positioning it as a potentially big summer blockbuster. The original trilogy ofMen in Blackmovies made a combined $1.65 billion at the worldwide box office. This news comes to us courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
