Talk of a Men in Black reboot has circulated around Hollywood for years, and there were even rumors of a possible crossover project involving the crew from the 21 Jump Street movie from 2012. While the crossover film seems to have stalled out, we do have an update on the franchise-reviving Men in Black International movie, which was recently given its official title.
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The new film is expected to be set within the universe of the original trilogy, but feature a new cast and adventures outside the U.S., where all three of the prior films were set.
With Men in Black International scheduled to hit theaters in 2019, here’s everything we know about the movie so far.
- Title: Men in Black International
- Release date: June 14, 2019
- Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson, Rebecca Ferguson, Emma Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani
- Director: F. Gary Gray
The title
The official title of the film was finally revealed in December, but not by the studio. During CCXP, Brazil’s largest comic convention, Collider spotted Sony Pictures’ booth for the film, which featured the title Men in Black International.
The official Twitter account for the franchise was later updated to feature the logo for the movie.
The cast
Marvel Studios franchise star Chris Hemsworth (below) will reunite with Thor: Ragnarok actress Tessa Thompson in the film’s lead roles, with Taken star Liam Neeson also attached to play a key role in the film. During production, Hemsworth posted a series of photos from the set of the film on Instagram and Twitter featuring himself and Thompson (as well as other members of the cast and crew) in some of the international locations where filming took place.
That’s a wrap on #MIB for me! From London to Morocco to Italy and NYC. Thanks to all the fantastic cast and crew who took part on this epic journey and our director F.Gary Gray, cheers for the fun times, big laughs and solid memories. Can’t wait to show what we’ve put together. pic.twitter.com/Y2CFbPA6A1
— Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) October 17, 2018
The only returning character announced will be Agent O, the head of the American branch of the Men in Black organization, who was portrayed by Emma Thompson in Men in Black III. Thompson will reprise her role in some form for the reboot, providing some continuity between the prior trilogy and the new film.
Just before filming was expected to begin on the movie, several additions to the cast were reported. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom actor Rafe Spall, Oscar-nominated The Big Sick actor Kumail Nanjiani, and street-dancing duo Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois (aka Les Twins) were all added to the cast.
In August, Mission: Impossible – Fallout actress Rebecca Ferguson (pictured above) also joined the project in an unspecified role, but is rumored to be playing the film’s villain.
The story
Official plot details are scarce, but Men in Black International is expected to feature a new cast of characters existing within the same universe as the first three Men in Black films, but expanding the story’s focus globally. The initial film will reportedly be centered on London, but will also feature action unfolding elsewhere around the world. Neeson is rumored to be playing the head of the U.K. branch of the alien-investigating agency, similar to the role Rip Torn played as part of the American agency featured in the earlier films.
The script for the Men in Black spinoff is penned by Iron Man writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum.
The director
Each installment of the original trilogy of Men in Black movies was helmed by Barry Sonnenfeld, but the new film will have a new face behind the camera, too. The spinoff is set to be directed by Friday and Fate of the Furious director F. Gary Gray, who joined the project in February 2018.
The legacy
Original franchise stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones aren’t expected to appear in the film, but original franchise producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald will oversee the project along with executive producer Steven Spielberg, who served a similar role on all three of the prior films.
Despite mixed reviews for 2012’s Men in Black 3, the Men in Black series is undoubtedly a lucrative proposition, as the first film (released in 1997) grossed nearly $600 million, while the first sequel (2002) reached nearly $500 million.
Updated on December 6, 2018: Added photos and official title for the film.
