The filmmaking workforce of Phil Lord and Chris Miller has grow to be among the many finest in Hollywood. At present, Challenge Hail Mary is killing it with critics and on the field workplace in what’s sure to be probably the greatest films of 2026. It needs to be no shock. Lord and Miller have had one hit after one other for almost 20 years. They’re the workforce behind Cloudy with a Likelihood of Meatballs, The Lego Film, and in probably the greatest and most shocking comedies of the century, 21 Bounce Avenue, together with its sequel, 22 Bounce Avenue. Followers actually wished a 3rd film, and though Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill by no means returned to their roles, they virtually did within the wildest of the way: a crossover with Males in Black.
‘Males in Black’ and ’21 Bounce Avenue’ Had been Enormous Hits
Within the mid-90s, Will Smith was arguably the most well-liked actor on the planet. After his hit NBC sitcom The Recent Prince of Bel-Air, mixed with a profitable musical profession on prime of it, Smith took Hollywood by storm. Three years in a row he had movies that dominated on the field workplace. In 1995, there was Dangerous Boys, adopted by a fair greater Independence Day in 1996, and Males in Black in 1997. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Smith performed James Edwards in Males in Black, a carefree, wisecracking New York Metropolis cop who turns into a part of a secret group that tracks down the aliens that stay amongst us. Along with his ultra-serious, grumpy mentor, Agent Ok (Tommy Lee Jones), by his aspect, Males in Black was a contemporary and hilarious motion comedy executed so properly that it led to a franchise.
Fifteen years later, one other profitable comedy, 21 Bounce Avenue, was a field workplace hit, though nobody anticipated it. Primarily based on the Fox TV collection starring Johnny Depp, one other film based mostly on a present may have failed badly. As an alternative, due to Michael Bacall‘s script, Lord and Miller’s directing expertise, and the chemistry proven in laugh-until-you-cry performances from Tatum and Hill, 21 Bounce Street shocked everybody and led to an equally humorous follow-up, 22 Bounce Avenue. Exterior of being entertaining films, Males in Black and 21 Bounce Avenue appeared to don’t have anything in widespread, but a crossover got here so near occurring.
What Would a ‘Males in Black’ and ’21 Bounce Avenue’ Crossover Been About?
Information of a crossover between the 2 franchises leaked attributable to a hack of Sony Footage in 2014. The movie, which had the early title of MIB 23, was not going to be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. They’d have served as producers, with James Bobin, the director of 2011’s The Muppets, being checked out somebody who may probably deliver the concept to life. If this looks like an odd alternative, return and watch the movie. He and Jason Segel introduced Jim Henson’s beloved characters again and made them enjoyable yet again.
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“My title is Jeff.”
In a 2022 look on the Completely happy Unhappy Confused podcast with Joshua Horowitz, Lord and Miller talked about what may have been. Miller recalled that the “crossover script that was very humorous and really loopy that we actually adored,” earlier than going into larger element concerning the plot. “It was mainly the concept was that Jonah and Channing… a factor occurred whereas they had been doing their medical faculty journey that received them embroiled into the world of Males in Black, they usually ended up teaming as much as cease an alien takeover kind of factor.”
Lord introduced up an extra element a couple of hilarious concept from the script. “Just like the black fits had been like martial arts belts that you just needed to work your method as much as black and that [Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum] had been issued powder blue Males in Black fits.” Simply that visible alone is sufficient to promote a film.
Channing Tatum Revealed Why the Film Will By no means Occur
Sadly, the celebrities of the Males in Black trilogy, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, weren’t set to be a part of the crossover with 21 Bounce Avenue, at the least not in main roles. Maybe a probable state of affairs would have seen Brokers J and Ok handing off their duties to Morton (Hill) and Greg (Tatum) or coming in to save lots of the day on the finish. Both method, there definitely would have been lots of comedic potential in having one bizarre cop and one actually dense one monitoring down aliens.
MIB 23 has but to occur, and sadly, it would not seem that it ever will. In a 2025 interview with Selection, Channing Tatum defined why, telling the outlet
“I don’t suppose it’ll ever occur. The issue is the overhead. It will value as a lot because the precise finances of the movie — if no more — due to all of the producers concerned. It’s simply too top-heavy. It falls over each time.”
With all the expertise concerned, if anybody may have made MIB 23, it will have been them. Nonetheless, it is most likely for one of the best that it by no means got here to be. The Males in Black franchise was already beginning to sputter on the finish of the third film. In the meantime, the much less that’s mentioned about 2019’s Males in Black: Worldwide, the higher. With out Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, the idea would not work. If a 3rd 21 Bounce Avenue film goes to get made, how a couple of crossover with one other alien film from Phil Lord and Chris Miller? Challenge Bounce Avenue anybody?
21 Bounce Avenue is offered to stream on Paramount+ within the U.S.
