By J.S. Lewis
Here come the Men in Black… again. Everyone’s favorite alien-monitoring agency will see a spin-off film in 2019. We last saw the sunglasses-wearing, neuralyzer-wielding gents in Men in Black 3 (2012), which came out a whole decade after Men in Black II. This new installment is separate from the previously reported crossover with 21 Jump Street, a mashup that may never see the light of day.
According to Deadline, Sony and Amblin are in negotiations with F. Gary Gray (above on the set of The Italian Job) to helm the spin-off, who has directed back-to-back successes for Universal. The hot streak began with Straight Outta Compton in 2015. He followed that up with The Fate of the Furious, the eighth film in the ongoing action saga and the 12th top grossing film of all-time with $1.2 billion in the worldwide box office. With this newfound golden touch, it’s no wonder Gray has been pegged to revive a dormant franchise.
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Gray will be directing a script penned by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, who previously tackled Iron Man and Transformers: The Last Knight together. Long-time series producer Walter F. Parkes had this to say in a previous report, “It’s so rare to get to the end of the script and know you’re holding a movie in your hands, but Art and Matt have written a spinoff that somehow is true to the core of the MiB world and yet expands the franchise to a fresh new place.”
From the sounds of it, we’re in for a new cast of agents and possibly an international (or intergalactic?) storyline. The global box office has grown in importance since the series last flew by; expect to see that change reflected in the film’s cast and scenarios. Who would you like to see in black suit and tie? And what celebrity will cameo as an undercover alien this time? Join the discussion in the comments below.
Sony has set a July 14, 2019 release day for the untitled spin-off adventure.
