The Bad Boys franchise would not be the same without the charismatic presence of Will Smith, and likewise, Will Smith would not be quite the same without the iconic Bad Boys. The million-dollar franchise became the biggest, in terms of project, that the actor had ever been a part of. With how it went on to do wonders at the box office with each movie, fans believe that this perhaps was the best choreographed dance that the actor had ever performed. And given that he is the man behind ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ that is saying a lot.

As Will Smith is at a questionable stage in his career following his controversial public outburst at the Oscars this year, Bad Boys, through its fourth addition, is also set to revive the actor’s blockbuster career. But while the franchise and Will Smith are inseparable now, at one point he was not even on the final list of actors set to play Detective Mike.

Will Smith almost lost his biggest role to this actor

The Bad Boys franchise since its ultra-successful premiere in 1994 has dropped a blockbuster movie almost every decade. However, there was once a time when the project that was yet to attach big names and collections to it was stuck in development hell. Jerry Bruckheimer appeared on Literally! With Rob Lowe in 2020 and recalled how the project was destined to be very different at the beginning. The producer revealed it was originally going to star SNL comedians Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey.

Bad Boys was slated to star Lovitz and Carvey. While it is almost impossible to even imagine now, given their impeccable comic timing, it does not come as a surprise that Jerry Bruckheimer was looking at the two for his comedic thriller. However, the first crack in the casting came owing to the curtsy of Carvey who dropped out for reasons unknown.

After losing Lovitz and Carvey, the project secured Will Smith. But Will Smith was yet to live up to his title of Mr.July, and so the Bad Boys duo remained incomplete.

Will Smith’s Bad Boys almost starred Arsenio Hall

As Jerry Bruckheimer got comfortable on Literally! With Rob Lowe, he went on to reveal more details about Bad Boys and its adventurous journey while in making. The producer revealed that they were hoping to cast the Martial Law actor and trained hit maker at the box office, Arsenio Hall. Had that worked out, the dynamic duo of Bad Boys that we now cherish would have looked very different.

The Bad Boys franchise may never come second in terms of plot twists and extravagant action sequences, but its own development story might give it a run for its money. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have added such undeniable charisma to the characters that the makers were willing to settle for a bizarre budget just to make sure that the two actors return to reprise their roles in Bad Boys 4.

What do you think about the original casting of Bad Boys? Let us know in the comments below.