Bad Boys 4 is scheduled to hit the theaters in the first half of 2024, with both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence set to reprise the roles of Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett respectively.
Many fans are eagerly waiting for the fourth installment of the iconic franchise because the return of Bad Boys in theaters will also mark the return of a high-profile cop comedy after a long time. As viewers drown themselves in Marvel and DC-backed action franchises, there’s a real drought on the other side.
That wasn’t the case when Bad Boys (1995) came to the fore, as Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop (1984) opened floodgates of cop comedies in the 90s and early 2000s. At the time, these movies were considered very big projects and not many expected rising talents like Smith and Lawrence to bag such roles. In fact, they weren’t the original duo during the infancy stage of the production.
How Will Smith Landed Bad Boys Role Despite Not Being the Original Choice
The story about family man Marcus Miles Burnett and ladies man Mike Lowrey, who assume each other’s identity while investigating a drug deal, garnered very positive reviews and proved to be a commercial success, making $141 million at the box office.
Despite a reasonably weak plot (which is often the case with comedy movies, anyway) it quickly became a buddy cop classic largely thanks to the on-screen repartee between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Now, it’s impossible to talk about Bad Boys without mentioning the many hilarious exchanges between the pair. However, during the early days of the project, they weren’t even considered for their roles.
Speaking to SiriusXM in 2020, producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed that initially, the project was in the hands of Disney as part of Hollywood Pictures, and Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz were the original duo. They even did a test for what at the time was a “different movie” but then Carvey decided he didn’t want to do it. Bruckheimer panicked and Disney dropped the idea.
Later, Bruckheimer took the movie to Sony, who were much more enthusiastic, but their first choice was Arsenio Hall for the part of Detective Mike. Hall, who starred alongside Murphy in Coming to America, was a much more popular figure at the time and Sony’s choice was understandable.
However, he passed the role and Bruckheimer immediately suggested The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air talent for the part. Everything eventually came together and the rest as they say is history.
Why Eddie Murphy’s Co-star Arsenio Hall Turned Down Will Smith’s Part in Bad Boys
Hall was brilliant alongside Murphy in the 1998 hit comedy and even started his own chat show a year later, titled The Arsenio Hall Show. However, when it came to acting, the comedian took a step back.
Explaining his decision in a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said:
“I wanted to study and take it seriously and not just be the talk show host who is popular so he gets a role. But I wasn’t able to crack that nut the way I wanted. It’s a tough racket. Sometimes I made bad choices. I remember there was a time I decided not to do more stand-up or go on the road. I turned down a movie called Bad Boys where it would have been me and Martin (Lawrence) instead of Will (Smith) and Martin.”
Hall’s chat show also didn’t last long and ended in 1993 after four seasons. He returned for another innings 19 years later after the original run but things didn’t work out and the show hit the wall after one season. The Bad Boys franchise, meanwhile, is showing no signs of stopping as there’s still plenty of appetite for not only Smith but also buddy cop movies in general.
Source: SiriusXM
