Will Smith’s $1.6 Billion Sci-Fi Franchise Wasted Its Perfect Opportunity For Expansion

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Will Smith became a major movie star in the 1990s with popular films like Bad Boys and Independence Day. However, he achieved some of his greatest success playing Agent J in the Men in Black trilogy, which finished in 2012. The series continued after that with new leads – Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson – starring in Men in Black: International in 2019.

Look, Sony really tried to build something bigger with Men in Black: International, hoping to move beyond Will Smith’s appeal, but it just didn’t click. Critics weren’t impressed, and the box office numbers – around $253.9 million – were the lowest the franchise had ever seen. That scrapped the planned Jump Street crossover, and now they’re circling back to what works: trying to get Will Smith back as Agent J for another Men in Black sequel. It feels like they’re realizing the core of the franchise still rests with him.

This decision shows the franchise is struggling to try new things, which is unexpected since Men in Black already created a great way to continue the sci-fi story over a decade ago.

Agent K Prequels With Josh Brolin Should’ve Happened After Men In Black 3

The first three Men in Black films center around the partnership between Agents J and K, famously played by Tommy Lee Jones. When it came time for Men in Black 3, the story involved time travel, which opened the door to introducing a younger version of Agent K. Though Mark Wahlberg was considered for the role, Josh Brolin ultimately played the younger version of the character.

Choosing a new actor to play a younger version of Jones was a risk, but Josh Brolin delivered a fantastic performance. He’s a highlight of Men in Black 3, seamlessly blending into the role originally made famous by Will Smith. Brolin brilliantly captured all of Agent K’s mannerisms and personality as Smith’s partner in the sequel, which was well-received by critics and grossed a franchise-best $654 million worldwide.

Given how well the first Men in Black did, it’s understandable Sony wanted to make sequels. What’s surprising, though, is they never considered a prequel focusing on Josh Brolin as a younger Agent K. Men in Black 3 showed K’s past in 1969, but left almost 30 years of his early MIB career – before he met Agent J – completely untouched.

Producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald told The Hollywood Reporter that in 2015, Sony was pushing to expand the Men in Black universe without relying on Will Smith. They envisioned a potential trilogy of prequels starring Josh Brolin as Agent K, which could have developed his character and the Men in Black world before the original 1997 film.

It’s Too Late To Do Josh Brolin’s Agent K Prequels Now

Josh Brolin could still convincingly reprise his role as Agent K today, but he’s now too old to play the character in films set earlier in the timeline. He was 44 while portraying a 29-year-old K in Men in Black 3, making him 58 now. That’s older than Tommy Lee Jones was when he starred in the original Men in Black movies.

As a huge fan, it just wouldn’t work now to see Josh Brolin as Agent K in any Men in Black movies set before the first one. It’s a real shame, honestly. There was so much potential to explore that idea, but Sony never even seriously considered it, letting a great opportunity slip away. After Men in Black 3, Brolin really deserved the chance to take the franchise forward.

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2026-02-28 21:18