It looks like that Bad Boys TV show spin-off is one step closer to reality, as NBC has ordered a pilot. The original Bad Boys served as the directorial debut for Michael Bay, who managed to make the modestly budgeted production look ten times more expensive. It was filled with slick action and snappy one-liners, and helped Will Smith make the leap from television to movies.
In spite of the movie’s success, it took another eight years for the team to reunite for 2003’s Bad Boys II. The sequel upped the ante in every way, featuring bigger car chases, gunfights and a huge bodycount. Despite the film’s commitment to impressive carnage it received mostly negative reviews, focused on its childish humor and punishing runtime. Despite numerous attempts at launching another sequel in the years since nothing has happened, so it appears the franchise will try its luck on television instead.
Reports of Gabrielle Union reprising her role from Bad Boys II for a television show have been circling for months, and now Variety has confirmed NBC has ordered a pilot for the potential spin-off. Union played Syd Burnett in the sequel, sister of Martin Lawrence’s Marcus and love interest to Will Smith’s Mike. The show will find Syd becoming an LAPD detective, who will partner will a cop named Nancy McKenna. In true buddy cop fashion, the two will be polar opposites who bicker at first, before coming together to do the job. The pilot will be written by Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis, and executive produced by the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer.
The show is obviously in its early stages, so it’s too soon to say if other cast members from the movies will make guest appearances. Martin Lawrence would be the obvious choice, though it would be nice to see Will Smith make a cameo too. If the show manages to bring the movie’s hectic balance of comedy and action, it could be fun. Few expected the recent Lethal Weapon television series to last without the original movie’s leads, but the show has earned a loyal fanbase and is now on its second season.
There’s still a question mark over the future of the film series. A third sequel titled Bad Boys For Life was in development for over a year, with Joe Carnahan hired to write and direct. Numerous delays - and Smith’s indecision over the movie - contributed to Carnahan leaving the project last year, and Martin subsequently indicated that Bad Boys 3 will probably never happen, though Bruckheimer later said it was still in development. If the Bad Boys pilot makes it to series and proves popular, maybe that will light a fire under the third film again.
MORE: Bad Boys 3 Could Still Happen
We’ll keep you updated on the untitled Bad Boys TV series as more information arrives.
Source: Variety
