“He needs to keep box-office success alive, and he should bounce back going forward,” says one insider

Will Smith is hoping to return to the big screen with one of his most beloved franchises.

The actor, now 55, is reprising his role as Miami detective Mike Lowrey in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. This is the fourth movie in the action-comedy series which started back in 1995 with Martin Lawrence as his co-star.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die marks an important point for Smith, coming more than two years after the Oscars incident where he hit Chris Rock onstage. This new film will serve as a test of his ability to draw an audience to theaters post-controversy.

“Bad Boys is not a risk,” an insider in the film industry says. “It’s a good opportunity to see him bounce back. A talent as ambitious and financially successful as Will does not disappear with one mistake.”

“He needs to keep box-office success alive,” the source continues.

Photo by Sebastian Reuter/Getty

Another source within the entertainment world agrees that if Bad Boys: Ride or Die does well, then Smith “should be back on top and looking good for other films he is involved with and working on.” One such project includes a sequel to I Am Legend with Michael B. Jordan.

Photo by Frank Masi

A close friend of Smith mentions the star is “ready for more of an impact with his work after laying low” following the Oscars event.

“He will always be a private guy in his personal life but loves the attention on the big screen,” adds the insider. “He is aiming for box-office magic with this film and a bright future with everything else he’s got going on.”

Photo by Frank Masi

Months after the Oscars incident, Smith starred in Apple TV+’s Emancipation in December 2022. However, that was mainly a streaming release unlike the more traditional theatrical release of Bad Boys. During the promotional tour for Emancipation, he mentioned he would