Martin Lawrence Says That 'Bad Boys 4' Is Coming Despite Will Smith Oscars Incident

In an Ebony profile, Martin Lawrence dismissed rumors that the Bad Boys franchise was over after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Despite Will Smithslapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in March, the Bad Boys franchise isn't over according to Martin Lawrence. In a recent Ebony cover story, the actor-comedian that another Bad Boys film was on the way.

“We got one more at least,” he said.

The third and latest Bad Boys film, Bad Boys for Life, released in 2020, co-starring Vanessa Hudgens, Paola Núñez, Alexander Ludwig and Charles Melton.

Earlier in the article, Lawrence recalled the impact of the inaugural Bad Boys film, which released in April 1995. For himself and Smith, the Michael Bay-directed film was game-changing, grossing over $141 million at the box office.

“It was big,” Lawrence. “For us to come together and prove that we can deliver, and we can pull people into the box office—that two Black stars, two sitcom stars, could make money at the box office [was huge].” It also was an important pivot for him personally and professionally. “I didn’t go to college, so I felt TV was my college years,” explains Lawrence. “I felt with movies, I had graduated; it was just different.”

In May, Sony chairman and CEO Tom Rothman also confirmed to Deadline that Bad Boys 4 has "been in development and still is," also speaking on the Oscars 2022 incident.

“That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I don’t think it’s really my place to comment, except to say that I’ve known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person," Rothman said. "That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret is genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption.”