Bad Boys for Life trailer, cast, plot and release date: Everything we know about long-awaited action sequel

First look at Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's return has been released

There’s a Bad Boys renaissance happening right now.

Not only was a spin-off TV show titled LA’s Finest – starring Jessica Alba, no less – released earlier this year, but next year sees the highly anticipated sequel to 2003’s Bad Boys II, named Bad Boys for Life, finally reach cinemas.

So, what do we know about the third instalment in the series? Look no further, as The Independent has all the answers.

Release date

While Bad Boys for Life’s release date has moved around a few times, the film looks set to land in cinemas on 17 January, 2020.

First look

Posting on Instagram, Will Smith posted the first official look at himself and Martin Lawrence back as their famous roles. See below.

A trailer has also finally been released, which you can watch at the top of this page.

Cast and crew

Smith and Lawrence have previously confirmed they are both returning to reprise their roles as detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. Joe Pantoliano will also return to the series as Captain Conrad Howard.

New cast members include Vanessa Hudgens, of High School Musical and The Princess Switch fame, the artist DJ Khaled, Hunger Games actor Alexander Ludwig, Hunter Killer’s Jacob Scipio and Riverdale’s Charles Melton. The reggaeton artist Nicky Jam has also be confirmed to star.

Michael Bay, who directed the first two instalments in the series, had long spoken about returning to direct the third film. However, being one of the most in-demand filmmakers in the world, Bay electe not to return, with duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah – best known for their modern reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, 2015’s Black – stepping into the position. Jerry Bruckheimer returns as producer.

Plot

The official synopsis reads: “Miami PD and its elite AMMO team 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).”

Filming

The cast and crew are currently filming Bad Boys for Life, with Smith and Lawrence recently sharing a video of themselves on Instagram from the set.

Anything else?

That’s pretty much all the information on Bad Boys for Life currently available. The film will no doubt hope to achieve similar box office grosses as the originals, the first of which made $141.4m from a $19m budget (despite initial middling reviews) at the box office. The sequel, released eight years later, had a much higher budget ($130m) and grossed $273.3m at the box office.