Will Smith and Martin Lawrence made a grand entrance at the Hollywood premiere of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, arriving atop a double-decker bus. Smith, ever the showman, grabbed a microphone and energized the crowd on Hollywood Boulevard, leading them in a chant of “When I say, ‘bad,’ you say ‘boys.'” The duo, reuniting for their fourth Bad Boys film, basked in the adoration of fans and shared with The Hollywood Reporter that they’re not ready to retire their iconic roles just yet.
While many long-standing franchises have opted for reboots with younger casts, Smith emphasized, “We might have one more in us before we hand it off, but we’ve got a lot of young seeds in there.” Lawrence echoed this sentiment, adding, “The back ain’t went out quite yet, so before we do that — we ain’t going to pass it off just yet.”
The latest installment sees the two legendary Miami police officers embroiled in a mission to clear their former captain’s name, who is linked to drug cartels. This follows the 2020 release of Bad Boys for Life, with the franchise originally kicking off in 1995 and followed by Bad Boys II in 2003.
Lawrence spoke fondly of their working relationship, saying, “We love working with each other.” Smith reminisced about the first day on set, “When we hit the set on this movie, literally on the first day we’re going, rushing around, and Martin just said, ‘Hey man, slow down a little bit.’ He said, ‘We’re going to enjoy this one,’ you know, and he sort of set that tone day one that we were going to come together and we were going to make sure we didn’t miss the beauty of this opportunity we had to work together.”
Smith also reflected on their 30-year friendship, “These kinds of relationships must be nurtured. It is a gift from the heavens to be able to have a ride or die like this, on camera and off.”
Bad Boys: Ride or Die, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, features a star-studded cast including Eric Dane, Jacob Scipio, Vanessa Hudgens, Tiffany Haddish, and Joe Pantoliano. The film is set to hit theaters on June 7.
The original Bad Boys film debuted nearly three decades ago, overcoming initial challenges such as a first-time director and two stars who were untested at the box office. Despite these hurdles, the film was a massive success, grossing $65 million at the time, which would be around $135 million today.
Initially, producing partners Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer had envisioned Saturday Night Live stars Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz for the lead roles. However, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence ultimately landed the parts, a decision that has since become iconic. At the time, both actors were primarily known for their roles in sitcoms, with Smith starring in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Lawrence in Martin.
Michael Bay, who was making his feature directorial debut, helmed the project. The film’s plot centered on two Miami detectives on a mission to recover stolen heroin while protecting a witness, played by Téa Leoni. The script was still a work in progress when screenwriter Doug Richardson was brought in to help finalize it. The collaborative effort between the stars and the writers turned out to be magical, according to Richardson.
Columbia Pictures released Bad Boys on April 7, 1995, and it quickly became a hit. Three sequels have followed, with the latest, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, set to continue the legacy. Richardson attributes the franchise’s success to an early note from Simpson, who said, “A buddy movie is a love story. These guys love each other.” This sentiment has been a cornerstone of the series, making it resonate with audiences for nearly 30 years.
