He talks about the heritage of “Men in Black” that the film is always strong as an incredible adaptation of the series of comics Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers, in addition to one of the most creative blockbusters of the 90s, period. It included a row of murderer’s talents, with the screenwriter of “Bill & Ted” Ed Solomon, the composer Danny Elfman, the production designer Bo Welch, Vincent d’Onofrio in a performance as a wicked elastic, and the incredible team of ILM revealing a world of extraterrestrials operating in sight, without mentioning the two stars of cinema that sold the whole of the companies.
The superstar of the 90s, Will Smith, was already coming out of the punch at the box office of “Bad Boys” And “Independence Day”, which made him the perfect choice to play the agent J, the recruit. In addition to agent K more experienced, he would learn the strings of the secret organization holder responsible for protecting the planet from foreign threats. The role of the figure of mentor without humor would imply a certain assertion before the winner of an Oscars, Tommy Lee Jones, did not catch it, because the leaders of the studio initially wanted Eastwood. Director Barry Sonnenfeld, however, did not see him as a good adjustment and fought hard to get Jones for agent K (via Reverse):
“The studio really wanted Clint Eastwood. It was I who asked Tommy, then I was almost screwed up – they couldn’t get involved because Tommy had the director’s approval. Tommy gave me the approval.”
If we take a look in an alternative world, it is easy to see where Columbia came from. Eastwood, at this stage, had not only played a seasoned cop in the films “Dirty Harry”, but had also played in front of Jeff Bridges in “Thunderbolt & Lightfoot”, as well as Charlie Sheen in The action film Buddy “The Rookie”, even if this film was considered a low point of his career. He had a certain gruff which, on paper, would have made him a viable candidate like half of the Odd-Busting couple. But as we have already discussed, Eastwood is a man who likes to be in charge, and there is no way that he has enough authority over his role here to his taste.
Sonnenfeld fighting for Jones was the right decision because the actor’s blurred chemistry with Smith was undeniable. Both were a unique magic of life once resists the weight of the decreasing consequences of the franchise. They were the embodiment of cool on each film poster, and this image alone obtained its fate, ensuring that the status of the film as Hit Smash at the 1997 summer box office, collecting $ 589.4 million with a budget of $ 90 million.
