Will Smith’s $1.6B Sci-Fi Franchise Blew Its Best Chance to Expand

Will Smith rose to box office prominence in the 1990s with hits like Bad Boys and Independence Day, but he found one of his most successful roles with Men in Black. Playing Agent J, Smith headlined a trilogy of films that concluded in 2012. However, the franchise moved on without him, bringing Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson aboard to headline Men in Black: International in 2019.

Sony's hopes of expanding the story beyond Smith's starpower didn't fully land, with MIB: International receiving poor reviews and making a franchise low $253.9 million at the box office. The studio failed to produce the pitched Jump Street crossover film and has more recently been developing a new Men in Black sequel that would bring Smith back as Agent J once more.

That move is a sign of the franchise's inability to branch out, which is surprising considering Men in Black introduced the perfect avenue to continue the sci-fi series 14 years ago.

Agent K Prequels With Josh Brolin Should've Happened After Men In Black 3

The key relationship at the heart of the first three Men in Black movies is the one between J and Agent K, played by Tommy Lee Jones. Yetwhen it came time to make Men in Black 3, a time-travel story took shape, paving the way for the series to introduce a younger version of Jones' character. And while there was a push to cast Mark Wahlberg in the part, the movie ultimately cast Josh Brolin as the young Agent K.

Casting another actor to play a younger version of Jones could've backfired, but Brolin completely nailed the performance. He's one of the best parts of Men in Black 3, as he becomes interchangeable with the original star. Brolin perfectly captured every aspect of K while acting as Smith's co-lead in the sequel, which earned mostly positive reviews and made a franchise record $654 million at the box office.

With that success, it's no surprise Sony wanted to continue to make more Men in Black movies. What is shocking is that there was never any talk about making prequel films starring Josh Brolin as the "younger" (middle-aged) Agent K. Men in Black 3 took K's story back to 1969, leaving nearly 30 years of unexplored adventures with him as a member of the MIB before encountering James in the original movie.

There were endless possibilities to explore here without relying on Smith's involvement, which Sony was actively trying to do in 2015, according to producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald (via THR). It's easy to imagine a whole trilogy of Men in Black K prequels starring Brolin that helped shape the character and build out that world leading up to the first 1997 feature.