Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play two Miami narcotics detectives, Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowery, in the Bad Boys franchise. The first film in the franchise was made in 1995 when Smith was still the young star from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. However, Lawrence was a major star at the time and it will surprise many fans to learn that he commanded a higher paycheck than Smith.
While Bad Boys received mixed reviews, Bad Boys II was a critical disappointment. However, audiences liked the third film, Bad Boys for Life, which resulted in Sony greenlighting a fourth film, set to be released in 2024 and titled Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Will Smith’s Paycheck Was A Few Million Short Compared To That Of Martin Lawrence
Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the producers of Bad Boys, initially wanted Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz to play the lead characters in Michael Bay’s film (via The New York Times). However, several casting decisions later, two Black actors took the lead role in the film. Martin Lawrence was the star of his sitcom Martin at the time, while Will Smith was still the ‘Fresh Prince’.
Lawrence was clearly the most popular among the two, and he was the first to be cast in the role. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Black Knight actor was offered a paycheck of $6 million for his role as Detective Burnett. Smith, who was less in demand at the time, was offered $2 million for Detective Lowery, marking a stark $4 million difference in their salaries.
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, the King Richard actor quickly rose to prominence with critically acclaimed and commercially successful roles. While Bad Boys II was planned right after the original, the sequel faced several writing and development issues causing an eight-year delay in its release. By that time, Smith’s salary made an astronomical jump from $2 million to $20 million. Lawrence’s salary was also brought to the same amount, making a parity in their paychecks.
However, the tables turned significantly in favor of the Emancipation actor. Lawrence’s career graph declined, whereas Smith became part of the big-budget projects over the years. When Bad Boys for Life came out seventeen years after its predecessor, Smith was offered a deal for $17 million (via Yahoo! Finance). In comparison, Lawrence was paid $6 million, a staggering $11 million less than Smith.
Smith earned a total of $39 million from all three movies, while the Wild Hogs actor took home a total of $32 million. They are bound to make more from the upcoming fourth film.
Will Smith And Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Unveils First Trailer
Sony dropped the trailer of the latest Bad Boys film on Tuesday. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence certainly pack some punches in this high-octane action thriller. The directors of Bad Boys for Life, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, reunite for this fourth film. The film follows the two detectives as they investigate the framing of their boss, Captain Howard, as a longtime drug smuggler.
Joe Pantoliano, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Paola Núñez reprise their roles from the previous film. Eric Dane and Ioan Gruffudd are added as new cast members in the fourth film. With the new film, Sony expects to hit the $1 billion mark with the franchise. The three films have amassed a total of $841 million at the global box office.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 7, 2024.
