Bad Boys 4 casting shakeup! Tasha Smith will replace Theresa Randle

With production moving forward on Bad Boys 4, the much-anticipated sequel has undergone a surprise cast change.

Theresa Randle – who played Theresa Burnett, the wife of Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett in the first three Bad Boys films – has been replaced by Tasha Smith in Bad Boys 4, reports Variety.

Plot details on the sequel have been kept under wraps, and it’s unclear why Randle was ultimately replaced by Smith.

Will Smith – who was spotted in Atlanta earlier this week filming the sequel – returns as Burnett’s partner, Mike Lowrey.

They are joined by three stars from 2020’s Bad Boys For Life: Vanessa Hudgens (Kelly), Alexander Ludwig (Dorn) and Paola Nunez (Captain Rita Secada).

Tasha: Plot details on the sequel have been kept under wraps and it’s unclear why Randle was eventually replaced by Smith (above)

Both Smith and Lawrence appeared in a video from the set played to CinemaCon attendees in Las Vegas last week, where Smith revealed they had been filming for about four weeks.

Newcomers to the franchise include Eric Dane, who joined the cast in April and is reportedly playing the new villain, with Ioan Gruffudd also signing on.

Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah return to a script by Chris Bremmer (Bad Boys For Life, The Man From Toronto), based on characters created by George Gallo.

Jerry Bruckheimer returns to produce, along with Will Smith through his company Westbrook and Doug Belgrad.

Martin Lawrence, James Lassiter, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Barry Waldman and Jon Mone will also serve as executive producers.

The franchise began in 1995 with Michael Bay’s directorial debut Bad Boys, which opened to $15.2 million en route to $65.8 million domestically and $141.4 million worldwide on a $19 million budget.

That movie — along with 1996’s Independence Day — cemented Smith as a bona fide box office star, though it took several years for the first sequel to move forward.

Bad Boys II was finally released in 2003, with Smith and Lawrence returning and the sequel introducing Syd as Marcus’s sister… whom Mike was secretly dating.

Box office: The franchise began in 1995 with Michael Bay’s directorial debut Bad Boys, which opened to $15.2 million en route to $65.8 million domestically and $141.4 million worldwide on a $19 million budget

Producers: Martin Lawrence, James Lassiter, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Barry Waldman and Jon Mone will also serve as executive producers

Actress: Tasha Smith began her career as an actress with roles in The Whole Ten Yards, ATL, Why Did I Get Married, The Longshots and more, perhaps best known for playing Carol Hardaway on Fox’s Empire while also branching out as a director

Director: She has directed episodes of Star, Black Lightning, 9-1-1, Big Sky, BMF and most recently Mayor of Kingstown and Bel-Air

The sequel – directed by Michael Bay from a script by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley – opened to $46.5 million and grossed $138.6 million domestic and $273.3 million worldwide on a budget of $130 million.

While a third film had been discussed for years, it took 17 years for the third film – Bad Boys For Life – to finally see the light of day, which debuted in January 2020, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit cinemas around the world. world closed. .

The sequel – which brought back Smith and Lawrence – debuted with a franchise-best $62.5 million with $206.3 million domestically and $426.5 million worldwide on a budget of $90 million.

Tasha Smith began her career as an actress with roles in The Whole Ten Yards, ATL, Why Did I Get Married, The Longshots, and more, perhaps best known for playing Carol Hardaway on Fox’s Empire, while also branching out as a director.

She has directed episodes of Star, Black Lightning, 9-1-1, Big Sky, BMF and most recently Mayor of Kingstown and Bel-Air.