‘Bad Boys 4’ set photos see Will Smith return to movie set for the first time since Oscars slap

In what is one of his first major projects since the infamous Oscars slap, Will Smith has returned to the film set of the action flick Bad Boys 4. In new images published by TMZ, Smith can be seen in character as Mike Lowrey, the wealthy, goatee-sporting detective whom he has portrayed across all installments of the Bad Boys franchise.

Production on the fourth installment — Euphoria star Eric Dane set to portray Bad Boys 4’s central villain. 

While the new set photos see Smith on set of his first major production since last year’s Oscars incident, the actor has kept busy I Am Legend sequel alongside co-producer Michael B. Jordan.  

Bad Boys 4 was originally announced in 2020, though production was reportedly put on pause following the Oscars slap. In February of this year, Smith took to social alongside Lawrence to confirm that the fourth installment was on its way. Plot details around Bad Boys 4 have been kept under wraps, aside from the reprisal of Smith and Lawrence’s respective roles. The latest installment of the franchise — titled Bad Boys For Life — arrived in 2020. 

Meanwhile, on Chris Rock’s end, the comedian last month released his own major project since the Oscar slap: a Netflix standup special titled Selective Outrage. The show propelled the streaming giant’s numerous references to both Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett. It was a joke about Pinkett’s alopecia during Rock’s Oscars presentation that first led to the infamous slap last February.