‘Men in Black International’ Will Retcon the Agency’s Origin

In the first Men in Black movie, fans learned the origins of the secretive alien-monitoring agency and how Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K stumbled upon the founding.

It turns out the agency’s roots might stretch back further than that, as Men in Black International will retcon the group’s history when the film premieres this summer.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, production designer Charles Wood explained the Men in Black might have been around a lot longer than previously established.

“Whereas the original look of Men in Black was sort of set in the 1960s, we’re actually taking it back in time and saying that International exists in many cities around the world, and maybe even started a century ago,” said Wood.

Star Chris Hemsworth added the new movie is “a sort of reinvention, an opening up of the original franchise that aesthetically is a lot different. Like the geography of this one, we’re not just in New York — we’re in Istanbul, Italy, London.”

Fans were surprised to learn that a new Men in Black revival was in the works, so the fact that it will be messing with the continuity of the franchise might catch people off guard. But the latest film will have some connective tissue, including Emma Thompson reprising her role from Men in Black 3.

But this movie will feature Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson as the titular agents, reteaming the two actors after their success in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.

“I didn’t think we’d be back together so soon,” said Thompson. “I thought we’d probably both be in capes. So I was like, ‘We’re in suits?’ But it’s such a joy to work with him. And it’s nice to know that people like seeing us together.”

Producer Walter F. Parkes recognized that a large number of fans would still be clamoring for Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to reprise their roles, so they needed to recruit new agents that could carry a dynamic that would keep viewers interested.

“The first three pictures are very dependent on Will and Tommy’s particular chemistry and on the comic approach that [director] Barry [Sonnenfeld] brought,” said Parkes. “So we knew we needed performers with these vivid personalities and an inherent rapport, and luckily we could see the seeds of that in Thor: [Ragnarok].”

Men in Black: International premieres in theaters on June 14th.