‘Men in Black’ Reboot Eyes ‘Fate of the Furious‘ Director F. Gary Gray
Here come the Men in Black…again…like, again-again. The long-developing reboot / spinoff / sequel / whatever is back in action, with The Fate of the Furious director F. Gary Gray in talks to take the reigns of the next chapter in the MiB saga. 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.
Deadline reports that Gray, whose credits also include the critically acclaimed biopic Straight Outta Compton and The Italian Job, is in negotiations to helm the Men in Black reboot for Sony. Like previous installments, the new film will center on the eponymous top-secret underground agency, which monitors and polices extraterrestrials living on earth.
Iron Man screenwriting duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway wrote the latest draft of the reboot based on the comic book series by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers. Little is known about the plot beyond the basics, though it will introduce new characters to — as I’m sure Sony hopes — relaunch the franchise.
Gray definitely has the chops for a lofty action comedy; his resumé includes Set It Off, Friday and Straight Outta Compton — the latter of which made over $200 million at the box office on a $28 million budget and picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The filmmaker most recently directed The Fate of the Furious, which, though largely disappointing, still made serious bank at the worldwide box office.