Will Smith has a long history of starring in box office hits, but without him, sequels to those movies often don’t do as well. While Smith’s career is currently in limbo after his fateful slapping of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, it’s to be presumed that an A-list actor of his caliber will eventually get back into Hollywood’s good graces, especially after offering multiple public apologies for his actions. One consequence so far though has been Netflix’s cancellation of Bright 2, a rare sequel that Smith planned to return for.
For the majority of his career, Smith has had an aversion to sequels, with notable exceptions. He of course did star in Men in Black 2 and 3, as well as Bad Boys 2 and Bad Boys for Life alongside Martin Lawrence. Outside of those though, Smith has steered clear of getting tangled up in long-running franchises. That strategy has mostly worked for him, as outside of a few financial duds, he’s proven to be one of the most bankable names in the industry.
Of course, studios aren’t likely to stop milking a cash cow just because its star doesn’t want to come back. That’s led to three sequels being made to movies that Smith played the leads in, those being 2019’s Men in Black: International, 2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence, and 2021’s The Suicide Squad. While all three weren’t complete failures, their financial stats point to just how strong a lure Smith tends to be for mass moviegoing audiences.
Men in Black: International
According to Men in Black producer Laurie MacDonald, it was collectively decided after Men in Black 3 that the stories of Will Smith’s Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K had been finished, and no real consideration was given to a proper Men in Black 4. There was a brief notion of a possible cameo from J and K, but producers eventually decided that even if Smith and Jones could be convinced to appear, it would just make audiences want to see more of them. Headlined by Thor: Ragnarok duo Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, Men in Black: International earned harsh reviews, and with $253 million worldwide, is estimated to have barely broken even financially.
Independence Day: Resurgence
In the early 2010s, Fox and director Roland Emmerich were looking at a plan to make two Independence Day sequels back to back. Will Smith was actually open to returning as Col. Steven Hiller, but demanded a salary of $50 million for the project, and Fox balked. Attempts were made to get him back on board by the time Resurgence was greenlit as a solo sequel, but Smith wasn’t available due to making Suicide Squad. Independence Day: Resurgence, which wrote Hiller out in an explosion, also received harsh reviews. Its worldwide gross of $389 million wasn’t a total financial disaster, but was considered highly underwhelming.
The Suicide Squad
Will Smith was originally onboard to reprise the role of Deadshot in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, but had to bow out due to another scheduling conflict. Deadshot’s planned role in the script was essentially replaced with Idris Elba’s similar Bloodsport character, and DC intentionally left the door open for Smith to return later on if possible. The Suicide Squad actually earned much better reviews than David Ayer’s original, although it was a box office dud, not even making its large budget back in theaters. Of course, the pandemic and simultaneous HBO Max release are major factors in that performance.
