After two very successful Bad Boys movies with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, it took a surprisingly long time to get Bad Boys 3 into production. That movie was also a hit, technically the highest-grossing film of 2020, though certainly a global pandemic happening shortly after had a lot to do with that. But even with all the delays caused by the pandemic, Bad Boys 4 is still moving forward. And it may at least have a title, which is a solid title, considering they accidentally wasted the best option on the last movie.
Speaking with The Playlist Bad Boys 4 co-director Adi El Arabi says that the title the directors like is Bad Boys Ride or Die. That title apparently hasn’t been signed off on yet, but it sounds like that’s what the new movie will be called since the most obvious title has already been used. El Arbi explained…
Well, you know, the title that we like – I don’t know that they’re going to go for it yet – would be like Bad Boys Ride or Die because Bad Boys 4 Life is already taken. We didn’t know there was going to be a fourth one, you know? But yeah, what’s going to happen in this one is, I think that there’s going to be way more comedy. The third one had the dramatic tone. With this one, it’s really our purpose to get people laughing and having a good time in the theater. Martin [Lawrence] is going to a higher level in this one. This is the culmination of the Marcus Burnett arc.
As titles go, Ride Or Die sounds pretty good. Considering that our heroes are getting up there in age, riding or dying sounds like things that could actually happen in the film. Although, since the director indicates that the new movie will likely be funnier than the last, we can probably assume it won’t go so dark as to kill off any of our main characters.
It seems pretty much everybody agrees that calling the new movie Bad Boys 4 Life would have been the way to go, but apparently, the directors didn’t want to risk not being able to use the title at all if the fourth film did not materialize.
The situation surrounding Bad Boys 4 is nearly as confusing as the one surrounding Bad Boys For Life. As early as 2015 it was reported that two sequels in the Bad Boys franchise were planned. But it seems that by the time the third film was actually being made, which took a few more years, the guarantee of a fourth film was gone. Instead, we saw an official Bad Boys 4 announcement hit shortly after the opening weekend of the third film, where the movie exceeded expectations, making the success of a fourth film far more likely.
Fans of the franchise will be glad to know that Bad Boys 4 was able to complete principal photography prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike beginning. While one assumes that reshoots will be needed, as they almost always are, they likely won’t be happening for months, so there is certainly hope that the strike will be resolved by then. Bad Boys Ride Or Die, as we’ll just assume it will be called for now, is currently set for a June 2024 release, and it seems unlikely a delay will be needed due to the current strikes.