Sony is looking at reviving their Men In Black science-fiction/comedy franchise.
However, the studio is not looking to make it a new film with franchise stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Instead, the Hollywood Reporter is stating that Sony has hired Iron Man screenwriters Matt Holloway and Art Marcum to go forward with a new cast of characters.
While the success of the franchise is certainly tied to the star power of Smith and Jones, the concept of a secret government department that monitors and polices the surprising amount of aliens who live on Earth is big enough to accommodate new characters. Agents J and K weren’t the only two working for the MIB agency after all. However, in a post-Ghostbusters reboot world, Holloway, Marcum and Sony may have a long way to go in convincing the public of that.
This is not the first time Universal has gone to the Men In Black well. A few years ago there was an attempt to cross the franchise over with Universal’s other comedy franchise 21 Jump Street that died in development. With the original trilogy having grossed over $1.5 billion dollars worldwide, Sony certainly has incentive to try and keep this franchise running.
