The 1997 sci-fi comedy flick Men in Black was highly successful and generated almost $600 million dollars at the global box-office from an initial $90 million dollar budget. It was based on the comic book series by Lowell Cunningham about the paranormal and alien subcultures existing within society and a secret organization of agents ‘ The Men in Black’ who monitor and suppress their activity. The film adaptation benefited greatly from director Barry Sonnenfeld‘s unique visual style and humorous tone as well as Rick Baker‘s vivid creature designs under Steven Spielberg’s watchful supervision.
The follow-up in 2002 was made during the World Trade center attacks with the climax of the film set to feature the buildings prominently and was subsequently re-written. The overall tone of the second lacked much of the charm of the first with recycled story elements and questionable character motivations that made less sense after the final reel had played.
Now, a third flick is being made and filming has just gotten underway with some of the first photos now online. The snaps show Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Emma Thompson, and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger who revealed to E Online! that she’s been cast in a small part as a villain named Lilly.
I’m so excited because I get to die. I make an appearance. I say a couple of lines and then I die.
The other pics show a fit looking Will Smith running into the Kaufman Astoria Studios along with co-star Tommy Lee Jones and Emma Thompson in a small role seen wearing her MIB agent suit as they started filming scenes in New York.
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The plot involves the villain named Boris, played by Flight of the Conchords star Jemaine Clement traveling back in time to assassinate Tommy Lee Jones ‘s character of Agent Kay, setting off a chain of events that could lead to the end of the world. Josh Brolin is set to play a ‘younger’ version of Kay. The script was written by Etan Cohen of Tropic Thunder fame and whilst production has commenced, the story set in the past is said to need some reworking and Catch Me if You Can writer Jeff Nathanson has been called in to rewrite that part of the story. Production will continue through til Christmas week then shutdown until February when the rewrites can be filmed and the 1969 sets constructed.
The hiatus is also said to take advantage of the shift in weather which will benefit from the warmer climate in a few months.
Men in Black III will be released in 3D on May 25th 2012.
via: Splash
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