I try not to hate on remakes since they’ve been a thing for as long as film has been around, but sometimes I can’t help myself. The news a while back about a remake for Men in Black was one of those times. I loved the original as a kid. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were fantastic. Then, there was also the cartoon that I really liked — I guess that might go a little towards remake territory, but I digress.
Then the casting news came out. My initial reaction became a distant memory. Excitement took its place.
Chris Hemsworth, who finally showed more of his comedic side in Thor: Ragnarok and some of the greatest SNL skits in recent memory, was cast as the lead in Men in Black.
If that wasn’t enough, even more magnificent news came out: Tessa Thompson, who played Valkyrie in — you guessed it — Thor: Ragnarok — was also cast as a lead.
I went from my knee-jerk, “Why?” to being stoked. Hemsworth and Thompson have excellent chemistry together; especially with Thompson as the badass and Hemsworth as the lovable doofus.
If that wasn’t enough, Liam Neeson (unfortunately, not freaking Liam Hemsworth) was cast in the film too. He will portray the head of the London division of the Men in Black. And really, him playing straight man to Hemsworth sounds like it would be a joy on screen.
Oh, and I guess I can’t really call it a remake. So far it’s sounding more like an expansion of the original, following a different pair. Which I am all for. No cameos necessary. The current lineup is more than enough. Just look at how well-received Thor Ragnarok was.
Men in Black makes a return to theaters June 14, 2019.
I didn’t know Tessa Thompson was also going to be in it! Looking forward to this.