Bad Boys: recapping the franchise storyline so far

Watcha gonna do when the Bad Boys roll back into Cineworld this June? Book your tickets, of course, including IMAX, 4DX, ScreenX and Superscreen engagements.

In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's bantering cops, Mike and Marcus, again find themselves up to their eyeballs in explosive action and corruption. As ever, though, it's the verbal zingers between the pair that do the most damage.

If you haven't watched any of the Bad Boys movies in a while or ever (Danny from Hot Fuzz would like a word), get yourself up to speed with our potted highlights of the first three movies.

Bad Boys (1995)

Michael Bay's first Bad Boys movie introduced us to bickering Miami PD narcotics detectives Mike and Marcus
Bad Boys was the first collaboration between Bay and legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun); one year later they would collaborate on The Rock
When $100 million worth of Mafia heroin is stolen, Mike and Marcus are tasked with investigating by Internal Affairs and their captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano)
Mike and Marcus must locate the missing narcotics within 72 hours and need to enlist the help of key witness Julie (Tea Leoni)
The trail soon leads to drug kingpin boss Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and his henchmen Casper, Ferguson, and Noah
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer originally envisaged Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz in the central roles
The role of Mike Lowery was turned down by comedian Arsenio Hall, a decision he later regretted
Director Michael Bay encouraged improvisation between the two leads and their chemistry, combined with the explosive action, propelled the film to a $141 million gross against a $19 million budget
In the season 6 episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air named 'I Stank Horse', Nicholas 'Nicky; Banks tells Will that his parents will not let him watch Bad Boys, to which Will replies, "Bad Boys, huh? What'cha gonna do?"

Bad Boys II (2003)

Smith, Lawrence, Bay and Bruckheimer all reunited for Bad Boys II, again adapting George Gallo's original premise
Eight years after the events of Bad Boys, Mike and Marcus Burnett are investigating drug trafficking of ecstasy in Miami
Mike is secretly dating Syd, Marcus' younger sister, and Marcus questions their ongoing partnership
Syd is working undercover for the DEA as a money launderer to a branch of the Russian mafia operating in Miami's drug trade
The trail eventually leads to drug lord Hector Juan Carlos 'Johnny' Tapia (Jordi Mollà) who is using a local mortuary as a front for his operations, smuggling drugs in and out of the country via the use of cadavers and coffins
After a final confrontation with Tapia and his men, Mike and Marcus reconcile and decide to remain partners
Despite universally negative reviews that criticised Bay's excessive violence and pyrotechnical overkill, the movie grossed $273 million against a $130 million budget
Bad Boys II is cited in Edgar Wright's comedy Hot Fuzz when PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) expresses disbelief that Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) "ain't watched Bad Boys II")

Bad Boys For Life (2020)

Bad Boys for Life is the first film in the series that Michael Bay doesn't direct; instead, the Belgian-Moroccan duo Adil & Bilall, comprising Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, took over
Bruckheimer and Smith remained onboard as producers while the script had input from novelist and screenwriter Peter Craig, later to take credit on The Batman (2022)
In the film, Mike and Marcus investigate a string of murders tied to Mike's past
Things get personal for Mike when the wife and son of an imprisoned Mexican drug lord embark on a vengeful quest to kill all those involved in his trial, including Mike himself
Marcus' daughter gives birth to his grandson and Marcus expresses his desire to retire from the Miami PD
Mike is shot and placed in a coma for several months, during which time Marcus retires; upon waking up, Mike attempts to convince Marcus to return to the force and take down the perpetrators Isabel (Kate del Castillo) and Armando (Jacob Scipio)
The shocking assassination of Captain Howard, himself on the verge of retirement, prompts Marcus back into active duty
Mike reveals to Marcus that Armando is his son, the result of a union that took place years earlier between himself and Isabel before Mike joined the police force
Isabel is later killed and a remorseful Armando is sent to prison where Mike visits him; Lieutenant Rita Secada (Paola Núñez) is promoted to Captain
In stark contrast to its predecessor, Bad Boys for Life was well-received by critics and also became one of 2020's biggest commercial hits as it was released pre-COVID lockdown