After returning to the big screen as Detective Marcus Burnett in Bad Boys for Life, what is next for actor Martin Lawrence? Bad Boys For Life is Lawrence's first major film role in nearly a decade. His last came in the 2011 film Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, where he played the role of FBI agent Malcom Turner and his alter ego, Big Momma.
Martin Lawrence originally rose to fame in 1992 through the television sitcom Martin. In 1995 he landed his first major film role starring alongside Will Smith in Bad Boys, which opened the door for both Lawrence and Smith's film careers. The film was successful enough to generate two sequels, one in 2003 and the other most recently in 2020. After Bad Boys II in 2003 Lawrence went on to have a relatively quiet film career, headlining the Big Momma franchise and voicing Boog in the animated film Open Season.
In 2008 Lawrence seemingly put his film career on hold for personal reasons. That year he lost his mother. Not long after, both his father and brother passed away as well. In 2010 he married his second wife and continued to stay off the big screen. Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son released in 2011 and was his last film for the next eight years. Then on November 1, 2018, in a video posted on Will Smith's Instagram, it was announced that a third Bad Boys film was officially in the works with both Lawrence and Smith returning.
Since the announcement Lawrence has also starred in Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum, and now the current success of Bad Boys For Life has helped strengthen Lawrence's return. However, before receiving the script for Beach Bum he stated that there weren't many good scripts that came his way. Focusing on movies that will be worth his time and working with good people is now his primary goal. That being said, the only upcoming movie or TV project to which Lawrence is attached is another sequel, Bad Boys 4.
The release of another Bad Boys film should not be unexpected. Lawrence is attempting a comeback from his eight year absence and Will Smith is returning to his roots after misfires like Gemini Man and Collateral Beauty. Despite Marcus and Mike's insistence that they're only back for "one more time" in Bad Boys For Life, the film's ending clearly sets up a sequel. Bad Boys For Life is already off to a strong start at the box office, so while he may not have much lined up just yet, both this movie and the upcoming sequel are likely to open up doors for Lawrence's return to the big screen.