On paper, a crossover between Men in Black and 21 Jump Street sounded like a crazy idea. News of MIB 23 first broke after the Sony Pictures hack in 2014 leaked emails detailing the studio’s plans to combine two of their biggest franchises. Many scoffed at the notion, but the project garnered enough momentum to hire Muppets Most Wanted director James Bobin. There haven’t been any updates since then, but now we know why. According to producer Walter Parkes, the crossover is no longer happening.
Parkes delivered the verdict in a recent interview with Empire (via Yahoo), and he seemed to echo the view held by many skeptics since they first heard that the film was happening. “We gave it a shot,” said Parkes. “It turned out to be an impossible match-up.” Phil Lord and Chris Miller directed the original 21 Jump Street and its 2014 sequel, 22 Jump Street. The duo were writing the script for MIB 23, which was intended as the third installment in that series. It would have featured Jonah Hill’s Schmidt and Channing Tatum’s Jenko joining the titular alien-policing task force. Bobin signed on to direct the film in May 2016. However, Hill expressed his own doubts that the film would get made just three months later.
RELATED: MIB 23 Unlikely to Happen, Says Jonah Hill
It may have been unlikely, but Lord and Miller’s track record indicates that MIB 23 could have been fun. Regardless, the Men in Black series is about to be revived later this year in Men in Black International, starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. That film will hit theaters on June 14. As for Jump Street, it remains to be seen whether Sony will produce a third installment of that franchise.
What do you think of Sony’s decision to can MIB 23? Let us know in the comment section below!
