Here come the men (and women) in black. Okay, first things first: If Tessa Thompson doesn’t get to cover Will Smith’s OG Men in Black theme song for the end credits of this spinoff / reboot / whatever we’re calling it this time, I am going to be DISPLEASED. But in all honesty, turning this thing into a Thor: Ragnarok reunion just guaranteed a blockbuster hit — and we are, as the children say, here for it.
A reboot of Men in Black doesn’t sound all that appealing — especially ever since we learned that the proposed 21 Jump Street / MiB crossover is no longer in the works. But when you bring Chris Hemsworth into the equation, suddenly a Men in Black reboot sounds pretty damn attractive. Handsome, even.
To answer your first question: No, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are not returning. And to answer your second question: No, this isn’t that 21 Jump Street spinoff / crossover.
On the heels of today’s Charlie’s Angels casting news, Sony has set an official release date for another major potential franchise relaunch. A new Men in Black spinoff / reboot will hit theaters in 2019, taking audiences back to the hidden world of secret-secret-agents and aliens. Not to be confused with that long-rumored 21 Jump Street crossover (more on that in a moment), this one will introduce new characters while honoring the established universe of its predecessors.
It was over a year ago that the massive Sony hack revealed plans for a Jump Street-Men in Black crossover movie, and while it wasn’t entirely clear, we sort of assumed this would happen in 23 Jump Street. Interesting? Sure. Exciting? Well, maybe. With Phil Lord and Chris Miller busy prepping the young Han Solo movie, we’ve retained some healthy skepticism about this wacky crossover plan. But it looks like Sony has found a director to renew our optimism.