Revealed: The Real Reason Michael Bay Skipped Bad Boys 4
In 1995, Michael Bay took the director’s chair for the first time in his career with the film “Bad Boys”. This movie was one of his most budget-friendly projects, costing just $23 million to produce, but went on to gross an impressive $141.4 million at the box office, boosting Bay’s reputation significantly. Following this success, Bay’s subsequent project was “The Rock”, which had a production budget of $75 million. As Bay continued to achieve success, costs increased. He then returned to “Bad Boys II” with a much larger budget of $130 million. Eventually, Bay moved on to direct the “Transformers” series, where each film surpassed a budget of $200 million.
Despite enthusiastic calls for another installment and the actor’s eagerness, Michael Bay did not produce Bad Boys 3 as expected. It was only after seventeen years that the third film in the series materialized, without Bay directing it. Instead, he devoted his time to helming five Transformers movies and releasing his first documentary, We Are Storror, in 2025, which showcased the men responsible for choreographing his 7 Underground production. This move left many fans puzzled as to why Bay didn’t revisit the franchise that had catapulted him to stardom.
Michael Bay Already Stepped Away From The Bad Boys Franchise Due To Budget Restraints
Michael Bay Said He & Will Smith Were Paid Too Much
2003 saw the release of “Bad Boys 2”, and it wasn’t until 2020 that “Bad Boys 3” hit the screens, marking a gap of 17 years. Interestingly, Will Smith had expressed his desire to produce the third installment as early as 2008, even reportedly pleading with Michael Bay during their encounter at the MTV Movie Awards that year (as per Digital Spy). However, Smith later revealed the reasons behind Bay’s reluctance to direct the movie.
> We’re yearning for “Bad Boys 3”. Just recently, I watched “Bad Boys 2” with my son and expressed that there’s no better way to kick off a film. That opening scene is simply unmatched! However, Michael Bay’s current costs are beyond our budget. He’s far too costly now.
The sequel to “Bad Boys 2” earned a staggering $273 million against a production cost of just $130 million. However, increasing the budget was unlikely as the studio aimed to turn a profit. In a conversation with Hollywoodscoop, Michael Bay casually mentioned, “We discuss it, but we all earn too much money,” hinting at himself and Will Smith. Interestingly, Bay went on to create the “Transformers” series starting from 2007, and these films’ budgets soared beyond $200 million, a figure more suitable for blockbusters yet not ideal for buddy cop action movies like “Bad Boys.
Bad Boys 3’s Box Office Success Meant Bringing Back Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah Made Sense
Bad Boys 3 Was More Profitable Than Michael Bay’s Second Movie
After a gap of 17 years, “Bad Boys” resurfaced in 2020 with Will Smith (as Mike) and Martin Lawrence (as Marcus) reprising their roles. However, Michael Bay was no longer at the helm as director. Instead, Sony Pictures enlisted Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to direct “Bad Boys for Life”. These directors had previously worked on three smaller films together, and “Bad Boys for Life” presented them with their biggest break in Hollywood. In terms of the third movie, the budget was $90 million, $40 million less than that of “Bad Boys II”, and it went on to earn $426.5 million, a substantial increase of over $150 million compared to its predecessor.
| Movie | Budget (via The Numbers) | Box Office |
|---|---|---|
| Bad Boys (1995) | $23 million | $141,4 million |
| Bad Boys II (2003) | $130 million | $273.3 million |
| Bad Boys for Life (2020) | $90 million | $426.5 million |
| Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) | $100 million | $404.2 million |
The third “Bad Boys” film turned out to be extremely lucrative, which made it straightforward for the duo to reprise their roles in “Bad Boys 4”. Unlike the previous instance where it took eight years for “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” to hit the screens, this one was produced much more swiftly, taking just four years. Despite a slightly larger budget of $100 million, it managed to gross over $400 million globally, demonstrating that Michael Bay’s presence behind the camera wasn’t essential for the franchise’s prosperity.
Michael Bay Is Still Connected To Bad Boys 3 & 4
Michael Bay Had Cameos As Different Characters In Each Movie
Despite no longer being the director for the “Bad Boys” franchise following two films, Michael Bay maintains a connection to it through acting appearances. Specifically, Bay appears as the emcee at Marcus’s daughter Megan’s wedding in “Bad Boys for Life,” where he has spoken lines to introduce Mike before his speech at the wedding. Additionally, Bay reappears in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” by featuring in a different cameo role – he drives by in a Porsche and advises Mike and Marcus to move from the road.
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2025-05-06 04:31