The director of the next 'Bad Boys' confirms Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will be back

bad boys
bad boys

(Sony)

The bad boys are in fact coming back.

Thirteen years after the sequel — and 21 since the original — Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have been confirmed for a return to the "Bad Boys" franchise.

The third installment, titled "Bad Boys for Life," was originally scheduled for a June 2017 release, but now is set for January 2018.

In an interview with io9, the film's director Joe Carnahan said the stars will be back and explained that the delay was due to Smith's commitments on "Suicide Squad."

"We couldn’t all get in a room, go through this thing, and really ring it out," Carnahan told io9. "I’m a big believer in 'Do the work at the script level until you’ve got something you know works.' That everyone is happy with, the stars are happy with, the director is happy with, the studio is happy with."

Michael Bay directed the first two films in the franchise. Carnahan said the delay also gives him time to form a bond with his stars.

"There’s only one Will Smith and one Martin Lawrence," Carnahan said. "You can’t replace those guys and I wouldn’t want to be involved if it wasn’t Will and Martin. They are that franchise."

Read the full interview with Joe Carnahan on io9.

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