According to Heat Vision, comedic New Zealander Jemaine Clement is in final negotiations to play a villainous extra-terrestrial in Columbia Picture's upcoming Men in Black 3.

The star of the cult HBO series Flight of the Conchords, Clement will play Boris, a devious figure that is both "charmy and creepy at the same time." He is reportedly one of several new alien baddies that will be be making matters complicated for the black suit-wearing heroes of Men in Black 3.

Clement's character was previously called Yaz back when the role was one both he and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) were rumored to be in the running for.  The script for the third Men in Black film is still being worked on, so the character's name may change again in the future.

The plot for Men in Black 3 will take primarily take place in the year 1969 and will presumably involve Agents Jay (Will Smith) and Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) traveling back in time as a means of stopping the nefarious plans of Clement's Boris.  Josh Brolin remains the top candidate to play a younger version of Agent Kay, a role he looks all the more set for after his praise of an earlier draft of the Men in Black 3 screenplay.

Men in Black 1 & 2 director Barry Sonnenfeld will direct the 3D sequel, which will be scripted by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder).  Tommy Lee Jones remains in final negotiations to return as the curmudgeonly Agent Kay and looks all but set to sign on alongside costar Smith.

Men in Black 3 is scheduled to hit theaters in Summer 2012, a season that will see such blockbuster sequels such as Batman 3 and Star Trek 2 hit the big screen.  Men in Black 1 & 2 were also summer releases and managed to gross $250 and $190 million in the U.S., respectively, so we'll see if the latest installment of the sci-fi/action/comedy franchise suffers from the law of diminishing returns, or rises above the box office levels of its predecessors. The 3D format will undoubtedly help to boost profits.

Men in Black 2 was considered a subpar sequel by many moviegoers - it offered an onslaught of impressive new visual FX and alien designs, but lacked the clever dialogue and slick pacing - not to mention the creative story - of the first M.I.B. adventure.  The introduction of a time travel element into Men in Black 3 is a tricky proposition - as the Star Trek films have proven, it can either work rather well (the Star Trek reboot) or fall flat on its face (Star Trek:Generations).

Will MIB 3 be able to make its time travel storyline work?  Sound off in the comments section below.

Men in Black 3 will hit regular and 3D theaters in the U.S. on May 25, 2012.

Source: THR