That’s right! On Sony Pictures’ slate of upcoming movies (released today), there are not one, but 2 (TWO) “Bad Boys" sequels scheduled to hit theaters in the next 4 years: "Bad Boys 3″ on February 17, 2017 and “Bad Boys 4″ on July 3, 2019.

Obviously, something could happen that alters the studio’s current plans and one, or both movies are shelved for good; but, as of today, this is what they have scheduled. 

I previously joked that, by the time the 3rd "Bad Boys" movie (which has been in limbo for a few years) is eventually released, both actors (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence) will be over 60 years old! Of course they won’t be. But in 2017, Will Smith will be 49 years old, and Martin Lawrence will be 52; and in 2019, Smith will be 51, with Martin at 54 years old. They won’t be as old as Stallone and company in the "Expendables" franchise, but they won’t be spring chickens either. 

Of course I’m assuming that both actors will star in both sequels. The roles may be recast; but can a "Bad Boys" movie still be a "Bad Boys" movie without them?

In June of this year, it looked like a "Bad Boys 3" movie was indeed closer to becoming a reality, with news that Sony was "in early talks" with Joe Carnahan to re-write the script, as well as direct the film.

Our last update prior to that was a year ago, when one of the stars of the film, Martin Lawrence, revealed to Conan O’Brien on his late night talk show, that he had spoken to producer Jerry Bruckheimer just prior to his appearance on O’Brien’s program, and was told that the threequel was definitely in the works. 

It previously wasn’t clear whether Lawrence was interested in returning (Will Smith and Bruckheimer both had shared interest, while Lawrence had been noticeably quiet about it), but given his conversation with Conan last summer, it looked like he would indeed be back for a third film.

Screenwriter David Guggenheim ("Safe House") was penning the script for the film, which Joe Carnahan was to rewrite.

This suggested that Michael Bay, who directed the first two films in the franchise, would not be back to direct the third (and now the 4th) film.

I’d expect "Bad Boys 3" will be even bigger and *badder* than the last 2, which means that it might get expensive for Sony Pictures, with likely heftier salaries to pay (Smith and Lawrence will probably demand more money than they received many years ago for the first 2); unless they expect it to do really big numbers at the box office. And I don’t know if that’s a guarantee. I’m sure it’ll do well, but are Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still the box office draws they both once were, just a few years ago? 

The first film, released in 1995, was cheap at $19 million. Will Smith certainly wasn’t collecting the kind of salary he would go on to command years later; and likely neither was Lawrence. It was a sleeper hit, earning over $140 million worldwide. The budget for the second film, released 8 years later, in 2003, increased 6-fold to a whopping $130 million!! That film grossed about $238 million globally. Not quite the profitable film that the first one was, but still a hit.

What would the budget for a third and fourth film be, and what kind of box office can be expected? Sony might opt to go leaner on both films. I wouldn’t expect superhero movie or "Fast & Furious"-like numbers.

In essence, your guess is as good as mine.

3 years ago (talks of a threequel have been in the air for a while), when asked about the possibility of a 3rd film, here’s what Will Smith had to say: "I love making those movies… It’s Miami, the tight T-shirt and fast cars, but just at this point in my career the material has to be right. Just because it’s a popcorn movie doesn’t mean that you don’t have something to say. Then, to me, that’s hugely important. I’m forty three and I’ve got probably… I’m looking at maybe seven more years where I can run and jump a little bit and then I’m going butt and gut for the rest of my career. Butt and gut."

Trying to read between the lines there, one can say that he didn’t seem, at the time, like he really wanted to do it. At least, not unless he really digs the script, which might explain all the rewrites. But you know what they say about scripts that have been *touched* by numerous writers…

So… mark your calendars (until further notice) – 2 more "Bad Boys" movies are coming!