Greetings MIB Agents, Bugs, Archillians, Civils, and Scum of the Universe...
The Men in Black will be returning!! To a big screen at a galaxy near you.
The film was originally slated for release on May 17, 2019 but has since been pushed back to June 14, 2019. Columbia Pictures, owned by Sony, will be producing the film. Writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum were enlisted to write the script. The writers are best known for their work on Jon Favreau's Iron Man and Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight. The director F. Gary Gray, most recently known for Straight Outta Compton and The Fate of the Furious, has been chosen to direct the film.
While it had been leaked during that Sony hacks that they were considering a cross over film between MIB and 21 Jumpstreet, that idea has been scrapped in favor of a complete reboot, possibly spin off. The director worded it as a "Spinoff grounded in the original premise." It was also said that purpose is to relaunch the franchise with a new cast.
Steven Spielberg will be the executive producer once again. Producers Walter Parks and Laurie Macdonald have said the film will be reinvented as a trilogy. Chris Hemsworth is officially in negotiations with Sony to star as one of the MIB agents. The new MIB story will take place in London, England.
Sources below:
http://therealstanlee.com/men-in-black-spin-off-films-release-date-set-by-sony-pictures/
http://therealstanlee.com/men-in-black-spin-off-has-found-a-director-in-f-gary-gray/
http://therealstanlee.com/thor-actor-in-negotiations-to-play-in-sonys-men-in-black-spin-off/
Photo Credit:
https://screenrant.com/men-in-black-reboot-filming-start-date/
Now, my personal thoughts...
I'm very excited for a new MIB film and even trilogy! That being said, I am very skeptical as it seems 90's movies are being rebooted and ruined left and right. I think the 21 Jumpstreet-MIB was horrendous and I'm very glad that was scrapped. I can only hope the new spinoff will be much better than that idea! ..But I will not hold my breath! I would much prefer to have a reboot than some spoofy spin off of an already comedic movie. I would love to see Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith return as MIB directors or senior agents! So, I am skeptical, but excited!
Now. Let me speculate or conspiracy theorize a little...
After MIB 3, I have taken a love for the Kingsman movies for their uncanny resemblance to Men in black and the plethora of MIB references found in them; Such as the unlikely and maladjusted young man chosen to be an agent of a secret organization that polices and monitors the planet earth, the main character has a pug as his sidekick, is partnered up with a father figure senior agent, high-tech weaponry, memory erasers, memory un-erasers, etc, etc. Kingsman: The Secret Service appeared to me as an MIB spinoff in the first place, but set in England. Now, Kingsman: The Golden Circle brings the setting back to the United States. In fact I felt that Kingsman 2 uncannily mirrored the plot of MIB 2. Men in Black was set in New York, and now it's moving to... London, England? Why.. Just why? Anyway, the coincidences are far too many for me! So, I wonder...will we be seeing a MIB - Kingsman crossover instead? Sounds crazy.. but it's certainly not crazier than a 21 Jumpstreet-MIB crossover. And one connection to consider is that Channing Tatum starred as an agent in 21 Jumpstreet, but he also starred as an Agent in Kingsman:The Golden Circle. So, I do believe there is cause for speculation that we could be seeing a Men in Black crossover with Kingsman instead of 21 Jumpstreet. Food for thought!
I can totally see a MIB-Kingsman crossover working. Their worlds are very similar. That being said, I don't know how I would feel about such a cross-over. I feel like it would take away from the MIB franchise, but at the same time I really love the Kingsman movies too. Much like MIB, Kingsman has a perfect balance of seriousness and humor along with a strong dose of buttkicking. Atlas' I would much rather see a continuation of the MIB films with an MIB 4! If not, then I would much rather see a reboot of MIB minus the spinoff!
Feel free to add any MIB film release details as they arise or share your thoughts!
-A