Has Men in Black 5 Been Teased by New Production Listing?

A new entry in the Men in Black franchise might be coming sooner rather than later, as it’s been revealed that an untitled sequel will apparently begin shooting in January 2025. Though no official announcement has been made by Sony regarding the project, it’s enough to speculate that the long-running franchise is looking to make up for the critically panned Men in Black: International which was released in 2019, and left a sour taste in the mouths of many. Starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, the film holds just a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes, and barely made enough to break even at the box office.

As per ProductionList.com, a website that regularly tracks the pre-productions of major projects across film and TV, the ‘Untitled Men in Black Project’ is listed as a feature film to begin shooting in January 2025 in London. The project summary has details for Men in Black: International used as filler, as no official plot for the rumored MiB film has been released at this time.

Premiering in 1997, Men In Black starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as Agents J and K, two members of a secret organization who work together to thwart the destruction of Earth by an intergalactic terrorist. Loosely based on the comic book series by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers, the film featured a catchy theme and practical makeup effects by Rick Baker (who won an Oscar for his efforts), and would go on to gross a massive $589 million against a budget of $90 million, thus birthing an entire franchise.

Men in Black 2 followed five years later, and was unfortunately met with mixed reviews, with some accusing it of recycling old ideas and bringing nothing new to the table. As such, the franchise lay dormant until 2012 with the release of Men in Black 3. The passage of time was enough for audiences to forgive MiB 2, as they showed up in droves for the sequel, which surpassed the original in box office performance, grossing $654 million.

While there were talks of a fourth film starring Jones and Smith, Sony ended up going in a different direction for the next entry, Men in Black: International, which saw neither of them return, and instead featured Hemsworth and Thompson as the leads. Audiences weren’t ready to accept the pair, however, despite their onscreen chemistry that resonated throughout the production. The film was a commercial and critical flop, seemingly putting an end to an otherwise fun franchise.

What’s Next for Men in Black?

Though it’s been five years since the release of Men in Black: International, the franchise is still the talk of many thanks to the rumored crossover between the MiB universe and 21 Jump Street. Word leaked in 2014 that the crossover was in development, and in 2016 Sony officially announced the film, titled MiB 23, which was set to star Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill reprising their roles of Greg Jenko and Morton Schmidt from the Jump Street movies as two cops recruited to join the top-secret organization.

Despite the official announcement, however, MiB 23 could never get off the ground, but that isn’t to say the project is dead in the water. Channing Tatum recently hinted that the film has the perfect script, and that those involved are still trying to get it the green light. As Hollywood is a town filled with secrets, one can speculate that Tatum is keeping things close to the vest, and that the rumored ‘Untitled Men in Black Project’ that’s speculated to begin filming in 2025 could indeed be the long-awaited crossover.

For his part, Will Smith has been mum about a possible return to the Men in Black franchise, though he sparked rumors of his involvement this year at Coachella where he made a surprise appearance in full Agent J getup to sing the hit song ‘Men in Black’ alongside Colombian rapper J Balvin.