The Moviegoer’s Guide to ‘Bad Boys For Life’: All the Details You Need to Know About ‘Bad Boys 3’

Here's What the Movie Will Be About

Bad Boys 3 is going to tackle the time difference between the previous sequel—Bad Boys II came out in 2003—and this movie head-on. This new flick will follow the the “old school Bad Boys (Smith and Lawrence)” as they deal with a “highly specialized police unit that collides with their style of work when a new threat emerges in Miami.”

That new team is the “elite AMMO team” of the Miami PD, and everyone will be going up against “Armando Armas (played by Jacob Scipio), head of a drug cartel.”  

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah Are Directing the Film

The directing duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were announced as directors of the film back in January 2018 in a report from Deadline. That report became fully official in October 2018 when Variety reported that Bad Boys 3 received a greenlight from the studio. The duo previously directed the crime drama Black and also worked on the FX series Snowfall. The two have a history with Bad Boys producer Jerry Bruckheimer, as they have also been attached to a Beverly Hills Cop 4 project with Bruckheimer. 

Here's Who the Main Villain Is—and What He's Like

Jacob Scipio is set to play the main villain in the film, according to Deadline. Scipio will be playing the character Armando Armas, the head of a drug cartel who butts heads with the Bad Boys and the elite AMMO unit of the Miami PD. More details have emerged from Production Weekly; here’s the plot rundown:

“The new installment centers on the Miami PD and its elite AMMO team’s attempt to take down Armando Armas (Jacob Scipio), head of a drug cartel. Armando is a cold-blooded killer with a vicious, taunting nature. He is committed to the work of the cartel and is dispatched by his mother to kill Mike (Will Smith). Paola Nuñez will take on the role of Rite, the tough and funny criminal psychologist who is the newly appointed head of AMMO and Mike’s former girlfriend—and the one who got away.”

Here’s the Release Date

The film was originally set for release in February 2020, but Deadline is reporting that the movie is slated for a January 17, 2020 release. 

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence Are Officially Back

It couldn’t be a Bad Boys movie without Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The stars made their return to the franchise official with an Instagram video in November 2018, with Smith saying: “It’s official, Bad Boys 3 is happening, it’s official.” Lawrence added on the video that the duo is “making it happen.”

 

 

 

 

 

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It’s been a LOOOONG time Coming. But now it’s Here! @BadBoys For Life 🚨 We back!! @martinlawrence

A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith) on Nov 1, 2018 at 10:48am PDT

Joe Pantoliano Is Returning

You can’t have Bad Boys without a cop supervisor yelling at the partners for all the damage they’re doing, right? Exactly. Actor Joe Pantoliano is returning to the franchise in his role as Captain Howard, according to Deadline. Pantoliano, who starred on The Sopranos as Ralphie, previously appeared in both Bad Boys and Bad Boys II. 

Vanessa Hudgens Is Part of An Elite Cop Squad

Vanessa Hudgens had joined the cast, according to Variety. Hudgens will be playing a member of the Miami police elite AMMO unit—a “highly specialized police unit that collides with the old school Bad Boys (Smith and Lawrence) when a new threat emerges in Miami.”

Nicky Jam is Playing a Villain

Musician Nicky Jam has joined the film as one of the villains that Martin Lawrence and Will Smith will have to face off against, according to Variety. Character details were kept under wraps, but it’s possible his character will have a connection to the Armando Armas (played by Jacob Scipio), the main villain and head of a drug cartel.

Paola Nuñez Is Playing a Key Role

Paola Nuñez has joined the film and will be playing a key role as Rite, a “tough and funny” criminal psychologist who has recently been named the head of the elite Miami PD AMMO unit. The character also is Mike Lowery’s (Will Smith) former girlfriend—the one who got away.

Alexander Ludwig Is Part of the Cast

Actor Alexander Ludwig will be part of the elite Miami PD unit alongside Hudgens and Charles Melton, according to Variety.

Charles Melton Is Part of the 'Elite' Trio

Charles Melton is also part of the elite Miami PD unit alongside Hudgens and Ludwig, according to Variety.

Jerry Bruckheimer Is Producing Again

Mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer previously worked on the first two Bad Boys films, and he’ll be back again for the third, according to Deadline. While it hasn’t been made official yet, it’s possible Michael Bay also could return to the franchsie as a producer after directing the first two films. 

Romeo Miller Might Join the Cast

According to a now-deleted Instagram post, Miller wrote that he got a “callback” to work alongside his “idols” Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the movie. While it was deleted, The Source snagged the post, and later Miller tweeted that Smith and Lawrence are on his “bucket list” of people he wants to work with. If things become official, we’ll update. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Looks like #Romeo May be joining the #BadBoys3 crew! Are y’all here for it, #Roomies!?

A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Dec 11, 2018 at 10:13am PST

The Villain Could Potentially Be a Dangerous Mercenary

While there hasn’t been an official release about who the villain of the movie will be, That Hashtag Show also reported on a rumor about who the bad guy could be. While the final main villain and plot could be different, it may take some inspiration from a previous script and/or this rundown.

“Lowery and Burnett are brought together again when a lean, mean, skilled mercenary with a vendetta puts a death order on Lowery and Burnett for the death of his brother. Now the two must work together once again to bring him down,” the report read.

The Plot Could Possibly Involve a New, Young Partner For Mike Lowery

No official details have been released about the plot of movie yet, but there are some rumors about what Bad Boys 3 could follow. Earlier in 2018, That Hashtag Show reported on a rumored plot for the film. While the final plot could be different, it may take some inspiration from a previous script and/or this rundown.

Here’s what they ran down about the action:

“The film will see Lawrence’s character Marcus Burnett working as a private eye after a falling out with Smith’s Mike Lowery, who is going through a midlife crisis as a bachelor who finally wants to mature, all while dealing with a new a young and cocky partner who is loyal to Lowery but that loyalty is not reciprocated, and finds a bond with Burnett when he returns to the fray.”

The Film Will Shoot in Miami and Atlanta

The Bad Boys franchise is Miami-centric, and the film will be returning to the city to shoot again, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The movie will also do some shooting in Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Gabrielle Union Is Interested in Returning

Gabrielle Union starred in the sequel Bad Boys II as Special Agent Sydney “Syd” Burnett, the sister of Martin Larence’s character. The actress has shown interest in returning, with a Twitter post:

👀 👀 👀 ☎️ https://t.co/6nb1JyV3oh

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) November 1, 2018