6 Most Exciting Things To Expect From Bad Boys 4

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is the next chapter in the Bad Boys franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and there are many exciting things to expect from the fourth movie of the series. Starting in 1995 with the first movie Bad Boys, the movies follow the stories of the Miami detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), who primarily work in the narcotics division. Though they get into their fair share of trouble, the heart of the Bad Boys movies is comedy and dedication to the tradition and action of the buddy cop genre.

The first two films in the franchise were directed by Michael Bay, a filmmaker known for creating explosive action flicks and embedding plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor into his work. Part of the fun of watching the Bad Boys is witnessing Smith and Lawrence grow as actors and comedic partners and catching up with the characters every few years. Bad Boys For Life, the third movie, was released in 2020, over a decade after the second installation. Bad Boys 3 included a shocking character death and was a departure from the tone of the earlier movies.

Although Bad Boys 4 will be missing a big character, it will be a return to form for the series and provide many of the fan-favorite details and hijinks from across the franchise. The movie picks up after the events of Bad Boys For Life and sees Mike and Marcus faced with unbelievable new challenges that they can only overcome together. Based on the recently released trailer, audiences will have the chance to heal from the loss in Bad Boys For Life and witness Mike and Marcus growing as characters and friends.

6 Tasha Smith Taking Over For Theresa Randle

Theresa Randle will be stepping down as Theresa Burnett, Marcus’ wife

The love story between Theresa and Marcus is one of the most enduring relationships across the Bad Boys movies. Theresa Randle has played Theresa Burnett in the films so far. Randle has been with the series since the first film, so saying goodbye to her and her portal of Theresa will be a significant change. Fortunately, Theresa will still be part of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, but a different actress will take on the role. While it might be jarring to see someone other than Randle as Theresa, it makes more sense for the filmmakers to recast her.

It wouldn’t make sense to write out her character altogether since she’s such a large part of Marcus’ life. The change might be unprecedented, but Tasha Smith is more than capable of embodying Theresa. Smith is known for her work on the TV series Empire and has also found success as a director, helming episodes of shows like 9-1-1 and Bel-Air. Due to her experience and talent, Smith will have no problem cultivating strong chemistry with Lawrence. Seeing her seamlessly fit into the existing world of Bad Boys will be an interesting aspect of the film that adds depth.

5 Returning To A Comedic Tone

After the surprisingly dramatic elements of Bad Boys For Life

Other than Smith and Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard has been an enduring aspect of the Bad Boys films, and his comedic timing made him an adored character. One of the most shocking events in Bad Boys For Life was the sudden murder of Conrad, just as he revealed to Mike that he planned on retiring. Although the Bad Boys franchise never shied away from violence and death, the sudden killing of Conrad was a shift in the general tone of the previous movies. It was a plot twist that was unexpected based on the past themes.

However, it did make sense because the gap between the second and third films required Bad Boys For Life to practically reboot the franchise. Now that audiences have been reintroduced to the characters and the story, Bad Boys: Ride or Die can return to the classic comedic and lower-stakes plots of the earlier films. The Bad Boys 3 ending set up the sequel, so now Mike and Marcus can go back to their old ways, but they have a clear reason to restart their partnership and an actionable goal to drive the conflict in the upcoming movie.

4 Mike & Marcus Clearing Conrad’s Name

Their central goal for the fourth movie

The trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die reveals that Mike and Marcus have a clear objective in their next case: clearing Captain Conrad’s name. Although he died in the last film, he’ll still make a posthumous appearance explaining that he was framed for being part of a conspiracy with a drug cartel, implicating Mike, Marcus, and the entire narcotics unit. Mike and Marcus have never faced a loss like Conrad’s in the Bad Boys movies, but in some ways, it’s fitting that his death and the need to prove the kind of man he brought them together.

Conrad’s death was how the third film said goodbye to the first two movies of the franchise and paved the way for a new generation of viewers to be introduced to the movies. Having this shared goal means that Mike and Marcus won’t be separated and go their own ways, providing the opportunity to show they’re still relevant and important within the story. Bad Boys: Ride or Die must capitalize on the built-in chemistry between Smith and Lawrence that fueled the original films and made them the cultural touchstone they are today.

3 Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah Returning To Direct

Establishing themselves as part of the franchise’s legacy

Before the release of Bad Boys For Life, fans were holding out hope that the original director, Michael Bay, might return to continue the legacy of the films. However, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were tapped to take over and have worked hard as directors in reestablishing the franchise. Rebooting a well-known and well-loved movie franchise many years after its last film is no easy task, and Bay’s style of directing is distinctive, meaning El Arbi and Fallah had big shoes to fill. Bay was instrumental in the early films, but they needed new filmmakers for a new generation.

El Arbi and Fallah have proved themselves as more than up to the task and are coming back for the next installment of what’s becoming their franchise. Now that the door is also open for them to lean into the comedic and sillier aspects of the story, it’s a chance for them to demonstrate their range as directors and show that Bad Boys is in safe hands. So far, their visual choices have been strong, the fight sequences have been thrilling, and the pacing matches what the audience expects from their action movies today.

2 The Return of Vanessa Hudgeons & Paola Núñez

Adding essential character dynamics and intrigue to the plot

Besides Theresa Burnett, there haven’t been many consistent and elevated female characters in all three of the Bad Boys movies, as Gabrielle Union made her exit after the second film, but Vanessa Hudgeons and Paola Núñez are changing that. Their characters, Kelly (Hudgeons) and Rita (Núñez) were excellent additions to Bad Boys For Life and weren’t afraid to give Mike and Marcus a run for their money. Thankfully, both characters will be back and better than ever in the upcoming film and will continue serving as great characters and positive representations.

Among the other cast and characters of Bad Boys 4, new and familiar faces will be seen across the board, but what will be most interesting to see is the dynamic between Rita and Mike. Rita was promoted to Captain at the end of the third movie, so she will be dealing with bureaucracy and might be less concerned with clearing Conrad’s name. Kelly will likely be part of the team that Mike and Marcus put together to get to the bottom of the conspiracy, but how the other characters will fit in remains to be seen.

1 Mike & Armando Learning To Be Father And Son

After recovering from his dark past, Armando can redeem himself and join his father

One of the most surprising plot twists in Bad Boys For Life was that Mike had a son he didn’t know about, and it was none other than Armando (Jacob Scipio), a central antagonist in the film. By the end of the third movie, Armando is in prison because he was the one who shot and killed Conrad and was out to get Mike for the majority of the movie. Armando didn’t know that Mike was his father and falsely believed his father was the leader of a drug cartel that Mike, Marcus, and Conrad helped to defeat.

However, once Armando realizes that Mike is his father, everything changes. Bad Boys For Life ends with Mike asking Armando if he wants a chance at turning his life around. It would be the ultimate act of redemption if Armando teams up with Mike and Marcus to clear the name of Conrad, the man he killed. Of course, there’s bound to be tension between Mike and Armando, as neither knows the other very well or knows how to behave in this situation. Hopefully, Bad Boys: Ride or Die will capitalize on this dynamic with heart and humor.