Will Smith doubtful about ‘Men in Black 4′

Although it wasn't quite as successful as its predecessors, last year's "Men in Black 3" performed well enough at the box office to convince producers and studio Sony that they should start developing a fourth movie. Sony has even hired up-and-coming screenwriter Oren Uziel ("Mortal Kombat: Rebirth") to write the script for "MIB 4."

Unfortunately for Sony, there's one major issue that might stop a fourth film from happening: Will Smith doesn't want to be in it.

Both Smith and MIB co-star Tommy Lee Jones have previous said they would consider reprising the roles of alien-hunting Agents J and K in a "Men in Black 4" (unsaid but inferred: "If the paycheque is large enough"). But it now seems as though the former is having a change of heart. While promoting his new film "After Earth," Smith told Collider that he's had his fill of "Men in Black" movies.

"I think three is enough for me," Smith said when asked about the rumblings that "Men in Black 4" was in development. "Three of anything is enough for me."

That doesn't rule out "MIB 4" completely, but Smith didn't sound too enthusiastic about the prospects. "We'll look at it and we'll consider it, but it feels like it might be time to let someone else do that."

When the interviewer suggested that perhaps Smith's son and "After Earth" co-star Jaden might be willing to step into his old man's "MIB" shoes, the megastar actor wouldn't speak for his son but said the family is "open" to the idea.

Despite the fact that Smith cut his Hollywood teeth in the genre (thanks to films like "Independence Day" and the original "Men in Black), perhaps the box office failure of "After Earth" has scared Smith off of big sci-fi projects for a while. That, or playing the same character again no longer holds any appeal for the 44-year-old actor.

Will Sony make it "Men in Black 4" without Smith? Probably, although they would probably also lose Jones in the process, as he would be unlikely to sign on without Smith. There's no denying that most of what makes the MIB series work is the unlikely pairing of J (Smith) and K (Jones); the movies wouldn't be the same without that dynamic, and the studio would be wise to remember that.

If Sony is intent on making a sequel with or without Smith, they might be better off hitting the reset button on the whole franchise. Ready for the inevitable "Men in Black" reboot?