'Men in Black' spin-off without Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones coming

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Men in Black are putting the suit back on. Sony Pictures is moving forward with a spin-off of the alien franchise and has put in on a fast track. The studio has set a May 17, 2019 release date for the currently untitled project, AceShowbiz says.

Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, the writers for "Iron Man" and "Transformers: The Last Knight", have been tapped for the spin-off. According to Deadline which first reported the news, the writing duo have written a script which will focus on new characters.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are not expected to reprise their roles for the spin-off, but it "acknowledges and builds on the world they inhabited." Described as a contemporary sci-fi pic, the movie is about "the black-clad secret force that protects earth from the alien scum of the universe" and follows "new characters chasing villains that put the picture on more of a global scale than the two previous films."

The hope is to expand the franchise and achieve the same success of "Jurassic World", a reboot of "Jurassic Park". The "Men in Black" spin-off is being produced by Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald and executive produced by Steven Spielberg. They have reportedly met with directors and expect to land one soon.

The spin-off will not replace the previously planned crossover between "21 Jump Street" and "Men in Black", which will reportedly feature Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill's characters donning the black suits. The crossover remains in development, though the spin-off will come first.