Martin Lawrence confirmed in a recent interview that Will Smith’s Oscar slap will not intervene with the development of the fourth installment of the Bad Boys franchise. “We got one more at least,” the comedian told EBONY magazine.
The comedy world is seemingly divided after Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock in the face at the 2022 Oscar award ceremony for making a joke at the expense of his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. As a result, Smith was banned from the Recording Academy for the next 10 years, and Apple delayed the release of the slavery drama, Emancipation, starring “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actor. Smith has since apologized and released a statement when resigning from the Academy. He said, “I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”
Moviegoers wondered if Sony would pull the plug on Bad Boys 4, but according to Lawrence, we get to ride and die together at least once more. Further in the conversation, the 57-year-old reflected on the film’s impact. “It was big,” he said, reflecting on what it meant for his career in the 1990s. “For us to come together and prove that we can deliver, and we can pull people into the box office—that two Black stars, two sitcom stars, could make money at the box office [was huge]. I didn’t go to college, so I felt TV was my college years. I felt with movies, I had graduated; it was just different.”
The first Bad Boys was released in 1995 and grossed $141 million worldwide. The 2003 Bad Boys II sequel shattered the original record, grossing $273 million. The third installment — Bad Boys for Life — premiered right before the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic in January 2020 and outgrossed both films combined with a whopping $426 million.