Back during the Sony hack in 2014, it was revealed that the studio had ambitions to bring together two of its hit franchises – Men in Black and 21 Jump Street – for a crossover movie entitled MIB 23.
The project started to pick up steam in 2016 when James Bobin (The Muppets) signed on to direct, with 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street helmers Phil Lord and Chris Miller producing and Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum set to reprise their Jump Street roles as Schmidt and Janko.
Nevertheless, Hill suggested later in the year that the movie might not happen due to the complexity of putting the deal together, and now producer Walter Parkes has confirmed to Empire that the project is officially dead, stating that: “We gave it a shot. It turned out to be an impossible match-up.”
Sony is of course working on reboots/revivals of both franchises, with the Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson-headlined Men in Black: International set for release this summer [watch the trailer here] and Tiffany Haddish and Awkwafina reportedly being eyed for a new female-led 21 Jump Street.
Had you been looking forward to the prospect of MIB 23? Let us know your thoughts below…