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One of his greatest and most popular franchises in Hollywood includes the Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones starrerMen in Blackfilm series, which started with the 1997 sci-fi movie. It was followed by two more movies and a stand-alone sequel featuring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. However, the franchise is still better known for the pitch-perfect chemistry between the original stars of the film.
But according to Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the first three films in the series, the Oscar-winning director, Steven Spielberg, did not want Smith to feature in the originalMen in Blacktrilogy.
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Steven Spielberg Did Not Want Will Smith as Agent J
Based on the comic book series, theMen in Blackfranchise follows two secret agents, K and J, who work to save the world from intergalactic disasters. The film starredWill SmithandTommy Lee Jonesas the lead characters, who reprised their roles under three films till the 2012 movieMen in Black III.
The trilogy was highly successful, and fans loved the chemistry between the Smith and Lee Jones as well. However,Steven Spielberg, who was associated with the series as an executive producer, did not want Smith to portray the role of Agent J in the sci-fi film series.
During an interview with Huffington Post, Barry Sonnenfeld shared that the Oscar-winning filmmaker wanted Chris O’Donnell to star in the 1997 movie. He shared that the Indiana Jones director wanted him to go on a dinner with O’Donnell and convince him to be in the movie.
However, Sonnenfeld wanted theKing Richardactor in the film. So he told theBatman Foreveractor that he was not a good director and advised him not to accept the offer if he had better options. O’Donnell took his advice and rejected the offer, which eventually went to Will Smith.
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Will Smith Initially Turn DownMen in Black
Men in Blackhas been one of the most successful franchises of Will Smith’s career. However, he was initially not interested in starring in the 1997 sci-fi movie due to one of his earlier movies. The actor opened up about it on his YouTube channel, where he shared that he turned downMen in Blackbecause he did not want to be the“Alien movie guy.”
It was due to his 1996 movie,Independence Day,which also features him going against the extraterritorial.“I had done Independence Day the year before,” he said before adding,“I don’t want to be the alien movie guy. So, I turned down Men in Black.”
Smith then got a call from the director, who advised him to accept the offer, and he decided to star in the 1997 movie.Men in Blackwould go on to become highly popular worldwide and gross around $2 billion at the box office.
Barry Sonnenfeld’sMen in Blacktrilogy is available on Max.
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Source:Huffington Post
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
