Will Smith scored one of the biggest hits of his career in 1997 with Men in Black. The weird science fiction comedy brought $589 million into box office worldwide. Smith was in the film alongside Tommy Lee Jones as Agent of the Extraterrestrial Activities Control Authority to see.
Five years later, Men in Black 2 was released in cinemas and was intended to repeat the success of its predecessor. The alien adventure was able to prove itself financially. However, a look behind the scenes reveals: In Men in Black 2 a lot went wrong. That’s probably why the film, which is shown on VOX on Thursday evening, seems like a patchwork quilt.
Men in Black 2 on TV: The sci-fi sequel with Will Smith didn’t have a good star from the start
Although Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) retired at the end of the first part, in the sequel Agent J (Will Smith) does everything he can to bring his ex-colleague back. This initial situation is waiting amazing overlaps on the production history of Men in Black 2.
Originally, Smith and Jones weren’t too keen on the sequel, nor was director Barry Sonnenfeld. But Sony really wanted part 2 and after extensive salary negotiations The project was (for the time being) dry. Last but not least, Smith needed another hit after the flop of Wild Wild West.
However, the filming of Men in Black 2 turned out to be chaos. Creative interventions on the part of the studio collided with events in world history. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the entire finale had to be changed. Because this originally took place on the roof of the World Trade Center.
The result is an 88-minute film whose bumpy genesis is evident in every second. In terms of quality, the sequel falls short compared to that charming original significantly. Even Men in Black 3 couldn’t capture the magic of the first alien encounter. However, the biggest MIB defeat was yet to come.
Men in Black: International was conceived as a soft reboot of the series starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. It happened again creative differences between director (F. Gary Gray) and studio (Sony), so the film had to be reworked. Financially and qualitatively, MIB:I completely fell short of expectations.
Sci-Fi comedy: When is Men in Black 2 on TV?
Men in Black 2 airs tonight, December 21, 2023, at 10:55 p.m. on VOX. The broadcast continues with advertising until 11:40 p.m. and will be repeated on Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 10:20 p.m. Alternatively, you can stream the film with a subscription on Netflix. Amazon Prime Video offers it for purchase and rental.
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