Bad Boys 3 Loses Director Joe Carnahan

Uh oh! It looks like one person definitely isn’t coming for the third Bad Boys feature. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it seems like the film has lost its director. A source has told the site that Joe Carnahan has left the project due to scheduling conflicts. But, according to a different source, the director may have part aways because of creative differences.

Of course, the loss of Carnahan is a blow to the project which has already had several delays. Last month, fans learned that Bad Boys 3 – or Bad Boys For Life – had its release date pushed back by Sony Pictures. After being delayed, Bad Boys 3 will now be released as a holiday film instead. The blockbuster has been pushed back nearly a year as it is set to hit theaters on November 9, 2018 instead of January 12, 2018.

With Carnahan out, it seems like Sony Pictures isn’t wasting time to fill the director’s place. THR reports that the studio is already searching to replace Carnahan. The director also was the person who penned the film’s most recent script. As such, sources have also said Sony Pictures is looking to hire a new writer for the project.

For those of you worried about the director’s exit, it may not be time to wallow yet. It is not like Carnahan has been idle these days. Most recently, the director has worked on a remake of The Raid, and reports have suggested the director is working on a much bigger project. In the past, Carnahan has said he is working on the script for 20th Century Fox’s X-Force film. Last month, reports began to surface which connected Carnahan to the X-Men feature as a director. Both ComicBook and other sites like Collider learned of the news through sources, but no official confirmation about the rumor has been given. However, if Fox did like Carnahan’s script, it isn’t too far-fetched to believe they’d want him on-board to direct.

As for Bad Boys 3, the feature will live on under another director’s guidance. In the past, Carnahan was optimistic about the franchise’s long-awaited return. The film will see Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles, and the director even said the third film would be the franchise’s best.

“Unless you’re Toy Story 3, usually third ones aren’t the strongest, and I think this one will be the strongest of the trilogy thus far. There’s a lot of funny shit in this movie,” he told Collider. “And there’s also a very mysterious, but tonally spot-on story that I think is kind of perfect for where we are in this day and age, where the guys are and reflectively, a very modern take on these guys. It’s kind of what becomes of Bad Boys when they’re not boys anymore.”

“When you’re coming back after 15 years, you better come back with a home run ball,” Carnahan said. “And I really believe that’s what we have….We’ve got a responsibility to make something that’s absolutely equivalent or exceeds what comes before. That’s a really important thing for all of us”

MORE: Will Smith Says Bad Boys 3 Is Very Close / Martin Lawrence Reveals Bad Boy 3 Production Schedule / Will Be The Best Franchise Installment Yet / Bad Boys 3 Will Have Multiple Villains, Shoot For R-Rating