Sony unveiled the title of the planned crossover film for “Men in Black” and “21 Jump Street” during their CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
The film has tentatively been titled “MIB 23,” a fitting combination of the titles of both popular Sony franchises, per Entertainment Weekly.
Word of the project first leaked as a result of the Sony hack, though TheWrap advanced the story in April 2015, reporting that after sending up reboots and sequels, the “Jump Street” franchise would send-up the current Hollywood trend of Shared Movie Universes by having Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum enter the “Men in Black” universe and investigate aliens.
Original “Jump Street” filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller had hoped to direct the crossover movie, but they’re currently busy casting Disney’s young Han Solo movie, so it became necessary for Sony to seek out a new director.
Lord and Miller will remain on board to produce alongside Neal Moritz. “Men in Black” franchise stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin are not expected to return for the crossover movie. James Bobin (“The Muppets”) will direct.
The “Jump Street” franchise has been a bright spot for Sony, which has seen solid returns from the series. The first “Jump Street” movie grossed just over $200 million worldwide but the sequel took the franchise to the next level, grossing $331 million worldwide — an exceptional haul for an R-rated action-comedy.