When is Men in Black: International released? Plus cast, plot and trailer
Everything you need to know about the new spin-off starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson
A new Men in Black movie is coming to cinemas in 2019, with Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth taking over from Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as the sunglasses-wearing defenders of the galaxy.
When will Men in Black: International be released? And who else is in the all-star cast?
Here’s everything you need to know…
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When is Men in Black: International released in cinemas?
Men in Black: International will be released in UK and US cinemas on Friday 14th June 2019.
Who’s in the cast of Men in Black: International?
Emma Thompson is the only actor from the franchise to reprise her role in the new spin-off, and will return to play Agent O, the chief of MIB worldwide.
Men in Black’s new cast will be led by Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who will reunite to play the sunglasses-wearing defenders of the galaxy alongside Liam Neeson.
Tessa Thompson plays Agent M, a new recruit to MIB who is partnered with Hemsworth’s Agent H after apparently spending 20 years tracking down the organisation. Neeson plays High T, the chief of MIB London.
Rafe Spall joins the cast as Agent C, who is suspicious of Agent H’s past, while Rebecca Ferguson plays an alien called Riza and Kumail Nanjiani provides the voice for another extra-terrestrial known as Pawny.
What is Men in Black: International about?
Unlike the US-centric trilogy of films, this new spin-off takes place around the world, from London and Paris to New York.
Men in Black: International introduces audiences to the UK-based team and is set in the MIB London headquarters, where a mole threatens the safety of the Earth.
Is the new Men in Black film any good?
Hemsworth and Thompson's debut in the franchise has received fairly mixed to negative reviews so far, with the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw going so far as to call the movie "galactically gormless" in his one-star review.
"More than anything else, International feels soulless," IGN's review said.
The first Men In Black was pleasingly grimy... At times, it was a gross-out comedy for the Nickelodeon generation. By comparison, International feels as sleek and clean as its weaponry, and loses a lot for it."
"F Gary Gray can be a fine action director and sometimes better than fine, but the scenes that should pop and pow — given the squealing tires, bared knuckles and laser beams — consistently fall flat," added the New York Times.
Many reviewers did praise the chemistry between stars Hemsworth and Thompson, however, noting their partnership as the film's saving grace.
"It lacks ambition or depth, but it’s delicious and filling, proving (as if anyone still needed proof) that Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth are two of the most likable movie stars in the galaxy," The Wrap's review said.
"You could cast “Thompsworth” in an educational film about sawdust, and they’d still find a way to make it fabulous. Put them in a film with slick production design, fun action and a highly conventional screenplay, and you’ve got a truly enjoyable, albeit superficial, summertime treat."
"By this point, the thermonuclear connection between Thompson and Hemsworth is what saves the day, more than anything their characters do," Variety's review agreed.
What other films are in the Men in Black franchise and who starred in them?
The original three Men in Black movies, which spanned 1997-2012, followed Agent J (Will Smith) – who accidentally found himself recruited to the MIB organisation after nailing the application tests – and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) as they took out alien dissenters in American society.
The Men in Black films follow this order:
- Men in Black (1997)
- Men in Black II (2002)
- Men in Black 3 (2012)
- Men in Black International (2019)
All are available to stream or buy if you want a quick catch up.
Are original stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black: International?
Nope, Emma Thompson's Agent O is the only character to reprise her role in the new spin-off (well, except Frank the Pug). But you will get a chance to see both Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in cinemas this year, with Smith voicing the genie in Aladdin (released on 22nd May) and Jones starring in a lead role in Ad Astra with Brad Pitt in September.
What happened to the Men in Black/Jump Street crossover?
Once upon a time, there were bonkers plans for a crossover between the Jump Street and Men in Black franchises – development work that came to light thanks to the Sony hack in 2014.
That project has since fallen through. Men in Black producer Walter Parkes recently told Collider that he “wasn’t surprised” that the script couldn’t “get there”.
“The two franchises have such utterly different tones,” he said. “Jump Street takes very classic cop things and plays it very out there and crazy and broad, and we [in Men In Black] take very strange cop-sized fiction situations and play it very straight, so it was very hard to find a tone that worked — but the theory of it was great.”
Is there a trailer for Men in Black International?
There is indeed and, true to form, it includes a whole lot of flying cars, laser guns and black suits…
Men in Black International will be released in UK and US cinemas on Friday 14th June 2019.
