Vanessa Hudgens Set To Return With Will Smith & Martin Lawrence For 'Bad Boys 4'

Vanessa Hudgens will be returning to the "Bad Boys" lineup!

Since Will Smith and fellow lead actor Martin Lawrence confirmed that there would be a fourth installation in the action-packed franchise, fans have been wondering who would feature in it. They eventually got an answer with the recent announcement that Hudgens would reprise her role as Kelly in the upcoming project, three years after she first appeared as a guns expert in "Bad Boys for Life."

Following the tremendous success that the "Bad Boys" franchise saw at the Box Office in 2020, fans are gearing up for another thrilling ride with their favorite comedic duo and Hudgens. Even though the public is yet to know the latest installment's storyline, it has been confirmed that writer Chris Bremner is in charge of the script.

The two people responsible for directing the third film Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi, would also handle the fourth. News of Hudgens' involvement in the movie, which is in the pre-production stage at Sony Pictures, was confirmed by Deadline on Tuesday.

The outlet did not add further details about the actress' return, focusing instead on highlighting the other crew members, including Smith for Westbrook, Jerry Bruckheimer, Doug Belgrad, and Chad Oman as back producers. Aside from acting as Detective Marcus Miles Burnett, Lawrence would also be executive producing alongside James Lassiter, Barry Waldman, Mike Stenson, and Jon Mone. 

Meanwhile, El Arbi and Fallah recently directed and co-wrote the action drama "Rebel," which tells the story of a family torn apart over a Muslim boy's future. As for Hudgens, the 34-year-old rose to fame in the well-known "High School Musical" franchise before appearing in other projects, including "Spring Breakers," "The Knight Before Christmas," "Tick, Tick…Boom!" and "The Princess Switch."

Following years of inquiry about the latest installment, the "Emancipation" actor and his 57-year-old friend informed fans that the film would soon go into production. As reported by The Blast, the twosome appeared in an Instagram reel that began with The Fresh Prince hopping into his car with a camera in his hand.

Speaking to the camera, Smith instructed viewers to "better stop scrolling" before he played the opening lines of "Shake Ya Tailfeather," — which musical heavyweights — P. Diddy, Nelly, and Murphy Lee performed for the soundtrack for "Bad Boys II."

After cutting off the tune, the "Wild Wild West" singer stated, "I wish I was you, not knowing what I'm about to show me." Fans soon discovered he was driving to Lawrence's house when the comedian answered the knock on his glass doors.

Upon seeing each other, the co-stars excitedly hugged and declared that "Bad Boys 4" was officially on its way. "It's about that time!" the father-of-three yelled as Smith chimed in, "Bad boys for life, baby," birthing a hilarious acknowledgment that the "for life" pun was wasted on the third film's title.

Fans and celebrities quickly began expressing joy at the news in the comment section, with one person's "We're READY for Bad Boy whatever number it is" claim to lead the pack. “Wowowowowowowowow,” a stunned DJ Jazzy Jeff wrote and DJ Khaled screamed, “Let’s go !!!!!’ 

"What we gone do, when we come 4 them!!!!!," Charlie Mack commented in reference to the franchise's theme song, adding, "Put me in coach for the Last Hoorah!!!!!! #BB4Life.” Additionally( Nick Cannon also joined in the conversation with a suggestion for the duo to name the upcoming film, "BAD BOYS 4 EVER!!!"

Other people rattled off names of the stars they wanted to see in the project, including Gabrielle Union and Chris Rock, who had fallen out with Smith after the latter slapped him at the 2022 Oscars. Recalling their experience when the first installment came out in 1995 during an interview, Lawrence stated:

"It was big. For us to come together and prove that we can deliver, and we can pull people into the box office — that two Black stars, two sitcom stars, could make money at the box office [was huge]."

While the original "Bad Boys" made $141 million worldwide, the 2003 sequel earned $273 million, and its third part outgrossed the previous two entries with $426.5 million.