Will Smith has been a major player in the industry for many years, starring in some of the most popular blockbusters and showing his range as an actor in some compelling dramas. He has led franchises like Bad Boys, and Men in Black while receiving enormous praise for his performances in Ali, King Richard, The Pursuit of Happiness, and Emancipation.
The actor is currently gearing up for the release of the fourth Bad Boys film Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The 2022 Oscar controversy took a hit on his career and many started questioning whether he would be able to win back audiences and get opportunities like he used to. While his star power remains to be tested with Bad Boys 4, he has nabbed a new film with director Stefano Sollima.
Will Smith To Lead a Vigilante Squad In New Action Thriller, Sugar Bandits
Will Smith is one of the few actors that can dabble between blockbusters and character-driven dramas. He has consistently proven his ability to lead a film with his sheer star power and it seems his next project will be the perfect showcase of this and his intensity as an actor, According to Deadline, the actor has been cast in Stefano Sollima’s new action thriller Sugar Bandits.
Sollima’s recent feature directorial credits in Hollywood include 2021’s Without Remorse and 2018’s Sicario: Day of the Soldado which were very serviceable action films. He has a gritty take on showing violence and the shady parts of the world and his style would be very apt for the new film. As Deadline states, Smith will be leading an elite vigilante squad working to wipe out the drug trade in Boston.
The last time audiences saw Smith leading a squad was in 2016’s Suicide Squad directed by David Ayer, which ended up being pretty bad. The screenplay of the new film is based on the 2010 book Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan who is penning the screenplay himself. Fans hope that this new vigilante action thriller from Smith and Sollima is far more compelling than the 2016 film.
Will Smith Teases Aggressive Creative Shots In Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reuniting for the fourth time in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The film sees them involved in a conspiracy where they are seen as fugitives as they try to fight their way to solve and rectify the charges against them, which somehow involves their late Captain. The film promises to be another adrenaline-pumping and exhilarating Bad Boys film.
In an interview with Empire, Smith stated that, unlike some sequels that feel like cash grabs and victory laps, the movie has a reason to exist today and in the legacy of the franchise. Smith further claimed that are taking aggressive creative swings with the film’s plot and are pushing the envelope when it comes to age specificity and real-life experiences being put in the film. The actor said,
“It has to feel like it earned its right to be a movie today. I always hate when you see sequels that are victory laps. In Ride Or Die we’re taking some really aggressive creative shots.
We wanted to push the envelope of how much life experience and age specificity you can put into these movies. With this movie, we’re being really aggressive in stretching what you can do in a summer action movie.”
In addition to Smith and Lawrence, the film also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, Joe Pantoliano, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Melanie Liburd and Tiffany Haddish. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah return to helm another Bad Boys feature after their successful work on 2020’s Bad Boys For Life.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die hits theatres on June 7, 2024.
