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Will Smith reveals the sequel he regrets making

Will Smith stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday to promote Bad Boys For Life, the third and final installment in the Bad Boys trilogy.

It's been 25 years since the first Bad Boys film and 17 years since Bad Boys II. So why did the third film take so long to come to the big screen?

Smith told Fallon, "What we tried to do, that was really critical and important to me, is not try to just do the old movies again. I was, like, you had to take into consideration the time, had to take into consideration how the characters would have grown. And the reason it took so long is because I didn't want to make it as a cash grab.

“You know, 'Hey, everybody loves sequels, let's just do a sequel’” Smith then low-key revealed he was not a fan of a couple of his last sequels and even named one of them.

Read more: Men In Black never made a profit

“You know, I had fumbled a couple of my last sequels." Smith then admitted, "You know, I wasn't happy with the Men in Black sequel."

Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in publicity portrait for the film 'Men In Black II', 2002. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in publicity portrait for the film 'Men In Black II', 2002. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

While Smith didn't specifically reveal if it was Men in Black II or Men in Black III that he was unhappy with, back in 2012, while promoting the third installment, Smith stated in an interview that he didn't want to be "the sequel guy," unless it's sequels to Men in Black, Hancock, or Bad Boys, and he wisely swerved 2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence, which director Roland Emmerich recently expressed regret for making.

However, just last year, the fourth film in the franchise, Men in Black: International, was released and Smith was noticeably absent. That being said, one can assume that it was the third film in the MIB franchise the actor was not proud of. On the other hand, Smith assured us that we're all going to really love Bad Boys for Life, and he's not just saying that.

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in 2020's Bad Boys For Life. (Sony Pictures)
Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in 2020's Bad Boys For Life. (Sony Pictures)

"It's fantastic. Y'all going to love it," said Smith, who also admitted, "I say that a lot I'm going to keep it real. Sometimes I say y'all are gonna love it, and y'all not gonna love it. You know, 'cause sometimes I've seen it, and I know y'all not gonna love it, but it's an expensive movie. But this time, this movie is out of here, it is so good."

Bad Boys For Life comes to cinemas on 17 January.