Will Smith "wasn’t happy" with the ‘Men in Black’ sequel.
The 51-year-old actor was initially concerned about making a third instalment of ‘Bad Boys’ – which is set to hit cinema screens next week – and wanted to make sure it could be a "standalone film" because he was worried it would gain the same disappointing reaction that the second and third movie of the ‘MIB’ franchise received.
Speaking on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, he said: "I have fumbled a couple of my last sequels, you know, I wasn’t happy with the ‘Men in Black’ sequel and I just really wanted to make sure that this was a standalone film that people would have a real, brand new experience."
Despite being disappointed with the reaction from the second and third ‘MIB’ films, Smith has a lot to thank the franchise for as the first comic book adaptation in 1997 – in which he played Agent J – proved to be his big Hollywood break after starring in the TV show ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ for six seasons from 1990 until 1996.
He then reprised the role of Agent J in 2002 and again in 2012 – both of which failed to impress fans – but refused to join the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Rebecca Ferguson for last year’s reboot ‘Men in Black: International’.
This time around for ‘Bad Boys For Life’, Smith – who portrays Miami narcotics detective Mike Lowrey alongside Martin Lawrence – is convinced fans are going to "love it" – even though it is the third movie in the sequel.
He explained: "I’m gonna keep it real, sometimes I say y’all gonna love it and y’all not gonna love it. You know, ‘cos sometimes I’ve seen it and I know y’all not gonna love it, but it’s an expensive movie."
‘Bad Boys For Life’ is set for release on January 17, 2020.