Back in March, we reported that the long-rumoredMen In Blackand21 Jump Streetcrossover was moving forward, as the studio entered negotiations withJames Bobin(Alice Through the Looking Glass) to direct. While there is still much we don’t know about the project, Sony Pictures made the it official tonight during their CinemaCon presentation, unveiling the new titleMIB 23, along with the official logo, which you may see below. Unfortunately, the studio wouldn’t confirm any other details at this time, but hopefully we’ll know more about this project soon.
We first heard about this project back in December 2014, through leaked emails from the massiveSony hack. Sony chief Amy Pascal revealed in these emails thatJonah HillandChanning Tatum’s Schmidt and Jenko characters from21 Jump Streetand22 Jump Streetwill team-up and interact with characters from theMen In Blackuniverse. Those emails also made it clear thatMen In Blackfranchise starsWill SmithandTommy Lee Joneswould not be part of the project.
Our report from March revealed that the project didn’t have an official green light at that time, but the studio has given the go-ahead forMIB 23, now that they have officially unveiled the title.James Bobinwas brought on becausePhil LordandChris Millerwon’t be able to direct, since they’re currently occupied with theStar Wars Anthology: Han Solospinoff, which is set for release in May 2018. The filmmakers are still on board as producers, alongsideNeal H. Moritz.
22 Jump StreetwriterRodney Rothmanwrote the script forMIB 23, which was reportedly met with praise by the studio, although no official plot details have been revealed. There have been rumors that, on theMen in Blackside, the studio is looking to bring in younger actors as the new leads. Sony is also developing a separatereboot trilogy, which won’t feature any of the original stars, but it isn’t known if those films will be connected toMIB 23.
Sony hasn’t issued arelease dateforMIB 23quite yet and it isn’t known whenproductionis scheduled to begin. Do you think a crossover between these two franchises is a good idea? Especially withoutWill SmithandTommy Lee Jonesreturning? Take a look at the official title treatment below, and stay tuned for more onMIB 23.
