What do you need to know before you jump into the MIB's next chapter? How will Chris Hemsworth
and Tessa Thompson take to the black suits? Will we get to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee
Jones rock the Ray Bans in this one? We've got a primer to get you ready for Men in Black:
International.
Based on what we can gather from the trailers, it appears that Tessa Thompson's character
is Agent M, a new recruit sent to partner alongside Chris Hemsworth's Agent H to crack
a murder mystery and prevent a new alien threat. Thompson's character seems to get her start
with the Men In Black by discovering their New York City headquarters before being dispatched
to the organization's London outpost.
Although the film is international, it's important that the movie begins in NYC. After all, the
city was essentially a main character in the original film. Barry Sonnenfeld, director
of Men in Black, made sure that the movie was set in the Big Apple, as part of a joke
that New Yorkers would barely notice alien life living among them.
In the first movie, Agent K tells Agent J that the MIB in New York was created right
before alien visitors arrived on our planet just outside New York in the sixties.
"Everyone thought the agency was a joke except the aliens who made contact March 2, 1961
outside New York."
However, the upcoming movie takes place all over the world, with the production shooting
in England, Morocco, and Italy. These are countries that are obviously far older than
the United States, and may reveal a deeper history of aliens on planet Earth than the
earlier movies let on.
When word got out Men in Black: International was on the way, the big question on everyone's
mind was whether we would see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones back in the saddle. In the
film's trailer, fans are treated to a J and K Easter egg. A painting on the wall depicts
Smith's Agent J and Jones' Agent K fighting the insectoid alien from the first movie.
But will the characters themselves make a cameo in the new film? The initial word was
that Smith and Jones would not participate. Since then, however, some comments from director
F. Gary Gray have led to speculation that we could see a cameo from the original duo.
All we can do is hope.
Gray is directing International from a screenplay by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, the duo who
wrote 2008's Iron Man. Steven Spielberg is back as executive producer, the role he served
on the original trilogy. Besides Hemsworth and Thompson, Liam Neeson will play the head
of MIB London, though it's unclear how much screen time the character will get.
The spin-off has a strong supporting cast as well. Emma Thompson will reprise her role
from Men in Black III as Agent O. Kumail Nanjiani is playing a comedic alien sidekick, and Rebecca
Ferguson has signed on as a lead, likely as a villain battling Hemsworth and Thompson.
The original films were beloved not just for being fantastic adventures with out-of-this-world
aliens and technology, but also for their humor.
"At first I was gonna pop this guy hanging from the streetlight, but then I realized
that he's just working out. How would I feel if I'm running in the gym someone busts in
and caps my ass while I'm on the treadmill?"
In addition to Will Smith's gift for physical comedy and Tommy Lee Jones' patented deadpan,
the films also succeed as satire, making keen insights about race and immigration. After
all, the first movie is about alien visitation by intergalactic refugees seeking asylum.
Given today's political climate, you can look back at Men in Black as a progressive parable
about taking a compassionate approach to immigration policies. Tessa Thompson certainly does, telling
EW:
"I mean, the start of the first movie talks about immigration, and Will [Smith] has these
really searing jokes about race…I think you do have the chance inside of all this
escapism to say something."
Men in Black: International further solidifies the franchise's comedy chops with director
F. Gary Gray, who directed the comedy classic Friday. On the acting side of things, Kumail
Nanjiani, known for The Big Sick and Silicon Valley, is sure to bring laughs. Still, we
can't forget Chris Hemsworth. It's easy to only imagine Hemsworth as the God of Thunder,
but with brilliant turns in Ghostbusters, Vacation, and SNL, Hemsworth is building quite
the comedic resume. Tessa Thompson is no slouch in the comedy department either. Considering
the hilarious moments she shared with Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok, it's no surprise that fans
are excited to see the pair reteam to don the black suits.
The International trailer hints at more of the cool weapons and technology that have
become a hallmark of the Men in Black series. In one clip, fans are treated to an array
of secret weapons revealing themselves from within a sleek black car. In addition to the
futuristic laser guns, the trailer also provides a decidedly lighthearted low-tech moment,
in which Agent H throws a hammer at an alien adversary.
"Looks like the tables have turned."
"That was an incredible catch."
It's certainly not the first time one of Hemsworth's hammer tosses didn't go according to plan:
"I don't think so."
The trailer also features the most iconic MIB gadget of all: the neuralyzer. Ironically,
one of the most memorable aspects of the original Men in Black was this memory-erasing device
used to make witnesses forget everything about agents and alien lifeforms. The inclusion
of the neuralyzer in the trailer is a nice nostalgic touch and basically a necessity
for any MIB sequel.
And then there's the franchise's signature look.
"You know what the difference is between you and me?"
"I make this look good."
That iconic scene defined a big aspect of the series' appeal: the style. If the trailers
are anything to go by, the names might have changed, but the effortlessly cool minimalist
look hasn't gone anywhere.
The sleek cars are also a crucial part of the MIB series, and it looks like International
won't disappoint on that end. In London, we see the aforementioned spy-car with secret
weapon racks, a 1970s Jaguar XJ. Later in the trailer, we also see Hemsworth and Thompson
riding in a Lexus RC F sports car. In a nod to the 1980s Ford LTD Crown Victoria in the
first movie, the RC F can also fly at the press of a big red button.
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