As strange as it seems, MIB 23 is actually happening. Despite what may seem like incredible differences, the Men in Black and Jump Street franchises are coming together in a crossover blockbuster that blends the two into a single universe. The big question of MIB 23 is just how the respective franchises will come together without losing what made them special. Director James Bobin may have finally shed some light on this, however.
In a recent interview, Bobin talked about the challenge of combining the two franchises into a single film. He describes the main problem as being a matter of tone, but claims that the script for the film does an excellent job of combining the two worlds.
Speaking with CinemaBlend, Bobin had this to say:
"The challenge is a tonal challenge. It really is. Because both worlds are so fantastic, and then it’s one of those things where you think, ‘How is this possibly going to work?’ And then you read the script and go, ‘I get it! This is amazing!’ It’s fantastic and it’s really fun. In a way I’m trying to imagine neither of those things exist before, and then what would it be together, and that ends with a very interesting place to be. But I love both worlds very much, and Jonah [Hill] and Channing [Tatum] are hilarious, so they’ll be just, you know!"
Though little is known about the plot of the film so far, Bobin's remarks reinforce the idea that the Jump Street cast will be the main focus of the film. Since the challenge of combining the two franchises is one of tone, this suggests that the tone of Men in Black will be adjusted to better fit into the Jump Street universe. While it's likely that the final product will show the influence of both franchises, if one had to summarize it then it's a safe bet that you could sum it up as "Jump Street with aliens."
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course. The Jump Street movies are fun, and adding in the idea of Men in Black operating behind the scenes fighting aliens could be just the sort of off-the-wall twist that the series needs to keep going. What will be really interesting is if the franchise continues after MIB 23, since the characters will likely have to settle back into their normal (and comparatively boring) lives. Assuming that the memories of MIB 23 don't get erased, of course.
Fans of the Men in Black franchise might not be quite as thrilled, obviously, especially if none of the series stars sign up for a spot in MIB 23. There's no word on who will be the agents appearing in the film, so it's entirely possible that we'll get completely new agents (with a possible cameo by Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones if we're lucky).
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We’ll keep you updated on the progress of MIB 23 as more information becomes available.
Source: CinemaBlend