Martin Lawrence is celebrating the release of his new film Sneaks — but he’s also looking ahead at a potential return to one of his most beloved film franchises.
When asked what dream projects are left on his bucket list, Lawrence, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly that he wants to team back up with Will Smith one more time on the big screen. “Probably a fifth Bad Boys,” he shared while chatting with Us about his new animated movie. “And maybe another TV program.”
Lawrence and Smith, 56, have starred as Miami Police Department coworkers and best friends Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, respectively, in all four installments of the Bad Boys action-comedy franchise, including 1995’s Bad Boys, 2003’s Bad Boys II, 2020’s Bad Boys for Life and 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
While the costars have become an iconic movie duo, Lawrence previously revealed during a June 2024 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he originally wanted to do the original Bad Boys with Eddie Murphy as his partner. Despite getting Smith as an on-screen partner instead, Lawrence told us he still turns to Murphy, 64, for real-life guidance.
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“I go to [Eddie] for a lot of advice and things like that,” Lawrence said of his connection with his fellow funnyman. Lawrence also takes what he’s learned from Murphy and passes it along to the next generation: “And there are young comedians that [are] out there that if they want my advice and everything on something, I will give it to ’em and everything.”
Lawrence and Murphy, 64, have starred in various projects together, such as 1992’s Boomerang and 1999’s Life. The twosome’s personal lives are also connected, as Murphy’s son Eric got engaged to Lawrence’s daughter Jasmin in November 2024.
In addition to setting his sights on a fifth Bad Boys installment, Lawrence also had a dream lineup of actors he’d love to work with down the line. “Denzel Washington or Al Pacino or Robert De Niro,” to name a few, he told Us.
Meanwhile, Lawrence’s latest project, Sneaks, features a star-studded cast that includes Anthony Mackie, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Bailey, Roddy Ricch, Macy Gray, Ella Mai, Quavo and more. The film follows a pair of designer sneakers named Ty (Mackie) and Maxine (Bailey) on their journey to reuniting after being separated. Lawrence voices J.B., another well-weathered sneaker who helps Ty find his way home.
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Lawrence told Us he grew close with costar Keith David — who plays O.G. — while working on the film, which hit theaters on Friday, April 18. So much so, in fact, that Lawrence “got him to do some voiceover work for my concert that I’ve been touring.”
As a father of three, Lawrence was glad to be a part of a “good family movie that everybody can go see.” He shared, “Every sneaker has a story. Every shoe has a story and a story to tell. And that’s what I want them to take away from this.” (Lawrence shares his eldest daughter, Jasmin, 29, with ex-wife Patricia Southall, as well as daughters Iyanna, 24, and Amara, 22, with ex-wife Shamicka Gibbs.)
Sneaks is in theaters now.
