Michael Bay’s Bad Boys with Will Smith kicked off the director’s career, where he introduced his distinct visual style. While his films may not be for everyone, no one can deny that he is a visionary filmmaker with a bombastic and gritty approach to staging action sequences. In addition to being known for the Transformers franchise, he is also celebrated for crafting the Bad Boys franchise.
The success of the first film put Smith and Martin Lawrence on the map, catapulting their star power in the industry. Bay created something special with the first film and there was huge pressure to deliver when they were developing a sequel. The film was going up against tentpole films Hulk and The Matrix: Reloaded and the director did his best to mount the film to the level of those two films.
Bad Boys II Going Up Against Giants Like Hulk And The Matrix Reloaded Was A Huge Risk For Michael Bay
Michael Bay delivered the first Bad Boys film as his directorial debut. The director established his bombastic approach to action with that film which became his signature style. The film established Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as the next big superstars. The first Bad Boys was a big commercial hit and the studio saw a potential franchise with the two actors.
There was enormous pressure on Bay to deliver yet another exciting entry with the sequel. At the time it was released, huge studio films like Keanu Reeves‘ The Matrix: Reloaded and Eric Bana‘s Hulk were playing in theatres. In an interview with BBC, Bay revealed that he didn’t get the budget he wanted for the film and had to shoot fast and precise.
The director further stated how he felt responsible for making the movie bigger and better than the first film. Since he was going up against two huge films, he felt Bad Boys II required a certain scale and execution to be able to stand toe to toe with them despite budget constraints. Bay said,
We didn’t have a lot of money to make this movie. I had to shoot really fast. Yeah, it’s my over-the-top action, more-violent-than-it-should-be movie. But we were up against Hulk and The Matrix Reloaded. What would you do? You know these movies are coming out. Things just have to get bigger.
Despite the competition, Bad Boys II was a decent hit, grossing $273 million against a $130 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Smith and Lawrence’s amazing dynamic impressed fans in addition to the bombastic action sequences. It was followed by a sequel Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Sony Had No Faith In Two Black Actors Leading A Mainstream Commercial Film Like Bad Boys
Back in the day, African-American actors were mostly reserved for supporting roles or insignificant characters in films. While directors like Spike Lee championed Black leads in films, big studios did not entertain that idea. Thus, when Michael Bay wanted Will Smith and Martin Lawrence for the first Bad Boys, Sony was against it.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director revealed that Sony had no faith in the film as it had two Black actors, which they believed wouldn’t appeal to the overseas market. Thus, he was not provided a decent budget for the film by the studio. Bay said,
Sony didn’t believe in the movie, because two Black actors don’t sell overseas. I have only $9 million. And they shut me down, literally. They shut the power off. That’s how rude they were in this movie.
With a $19 million budget, Bay managed to make a thoroughly entertaining buddy cop film with Smith and Lawrence. The film was a big hit grossing $141 million (via Box Office Mojo), establishing Bay as a bonafide director. Fans can watch Bad Boys and Bad Boys II on Netflix.
