‘Bad Boys 3’ Cast: Martin Lawrence Announces There Will Be Another Chapter In Cop Buddy Comedy! Will Smith Also Returning?

Is there room for another Michael Bay blockbuster? Martin Lawrence just spilled the beans in an appearance on Conan O Brien's Show.

LA Times got to cover his appearance, but Lawrence was still a little vague, to say the least:

"'Bad Boys 3' just got real.

Maybe.

Martin Lawrence said progress is being made on a third installment of the shoot-'em-up action-comedy franchise starring him and Will Smith as a pair of loose-cannon Miami cops.

'I just talked to [producer] Jerry [Bruckheimer] yesterday and he said it's real, they're working on the script, they're getting close, and it all looks good," Lawrence said during an appearance Wednesday on 'Conan.'"

Of course, no talk about Bad Boys would be complete without his partner Will Smith. But Lawrence deftly avoided it:

"During his Conan visit, Lawrence did make sure to drop Smith's name but didn't confirm his old partner's involvement in the threequel. Bay is also not confirmed.

It's far from certain whether Smith would want to reprise a role that he first played at a very different stage of his career, though a new 'Bad Boys' installment could also be a tonic for what have been some recent box-office ailments."

Of course, Smith became a superstar in films like "Ali" and the "Men In Black" series. Lawrence still had a fairly good film career but Bad Boys remains his biggest hit. With that context, Lawrence would have more interest in the film getting made than anyone else involved.

Lawrence even joked that Conan himself should have a role in the movie.

"..Lawrence, who was on O'Brien's show to promote his new series 'Partners,'  from talking about casting, stunt and otherwise. He even offered the host a role in the movie as 'a crooked cop on crack,' adding that he would "mention it to Will Smith and Jerry Bruckheimer."

Should there be a "Bad Boys 3" even if Will Smith doesn't return?