New Bad Boys, Karate Kid Sequels Confirm Release Dates

Two highly-anticipated Sony sequels officially have release dates. On Friday, Sony Pictures announced new release dates for the upcoming fourth Bad Boys movie, as well as the new Karate Kid film. The untitled Bad Boys sequel is now scheduled to debut on June 14, 2024, while Karate Kid will now bow in theaters on December 13, 2024.

These are just two of many release date changes that Sony announced on Friday, amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has now been indefinitely delayed from its March 2024 release date, and fellow Marvel movies Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter, and Venom 3 have gotten new dates. Additionally, the untitled Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, They Listen, and even next month's Gran Turismo movie have also changed their dates.

What Is Bad Boys 4 About?

Plot details are currently under wraps about the fourth Bad Boys film, outside of the notion that it will follow the ongoing adventures of Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence). The ensemble cast will also include Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly, Alexander Ludwig as Dorn, Paola Núñez as Captain Rita Secada, John Salley as Fletcher, and Tasha Smith as a recast Theresa Burnett. Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhea Seehorn, and Joyner Lucas have also been cast in currently-unknown roles.

"We had a great experience on the first one, both through the development process with Tom Rothman [chair of Sony] and his team, and then through the editing process and filming process… We put together, along with their help, a movie that's very satisfying for the audience, and we'd like to do it again, and I think they'd like us to do it again. We're currently working on a draft for the fourth one," franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer said during a 2020 interview.

What Is the New Karate Kid About?

Plot details are currently unknown about the new Karate Kid, which was first announced to be in the works late last year, outside of that it will be "the return of the original Karate Kid franchise." Neither a director or cast members have been announced at this time, and it is unclear at this point if it will have any tie to Netflix's hit Cobra Kai series.

"I know no other information," Cobra Kai star Ralph Macchio said in an interview at the time. "It's too early to tell what that story is [with the movie]. This is all, like, happening in real-time as you're asking me this question." The actor revealed that he has not been contacted about the project. "I think that [will be figured out] in the near future, or I may have nothing to do with it," he explained with a laugh. "We'll talk when I know what's going on."

What do you think of Bad Boys 4 and the new Karate Kid movie being delayed? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!