Bad Boys: Ride or Die represents not only one of the 2024 movie schedule’s summer successes, it’s also the continuation of the legacy to one of the best action movies ever. Legacy-quels such as this need a deft touch, especially when bringing back classic characters that have previously been slain in the line of duty. Actor Will Smith understands this, and thanks to a recent interview from co-star/acting legend Joe Pantoliano, we know a little more about how Captain Howard got to say a proper goodbye to one of his “bad boys.”
How Will Smith Played A Part In Bringing Back Bad Boys’ Captain Howard
Promoting the PVOD release of Bad Boys 4, Pantoliano’s surprise reprise of the late Captain Howard came up in conversation. It’s a natural question to ask as even after seeing him appear in Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’s first trailer, fans were probably wondering how or why this idea was even brought into being. included his presence.
And as Joey Pants told ComicBook, Will Smith played the following role in making it happen:
Will had a lot to do with that. ‘We got to figure out a way to bring the Captain back.’ I was really grateful that that happened. I didn’t have him with him firsthand, but I would get calls from (producer) Doug Belgrad. He would call me and say, ‘Look, right now it feels like this is what’s going to happen.’
While our own Bad Boys: Ride or Die review was part of the split critical reactions to directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s second entry into the series, I think you might be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t welcome Joe Pantoliano back into the fold. A character that’s been there since the beginning, the man is practically the M to Marcus and Mike’s collective James Bond.
Which, in turn, makes it fitting that the good Captain would appear in a posthumous video with instructions for their next adventure, a la Judi Dench’s M from Spectre. But that’s only part of the story about how Captain Howard’s total Bad Boys resurgence came to be. And for the next part of the story, we’ll need to bring in another Ride or Die participant to flesh things out a little further.
The Story Behind How Ride Or Die Screenwriter Will Beall Helped Crack Captain Howard’s Appearance
Not too long ago I was able to speak with screenwriter Will Beall, who is credited along with Chris Bremner for their efforts on making Bad Boys 4 what it turned out to be. Adding to the presence that Pantoliano would have in the picture’s story, Beall came up with an idea that was partially inspired by his own brush with death.
In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Marcus (Martin Lawrence) has a heart attack that sends him briefly to the afterlife, which reunites him with Captain Howard for a moment of divine inspiration. The health scare was inspired by an incident of cardiac arrest that Beall had gone through himself; but as he told CinemaBlend during that interview, it led to this further push of inspiration:
The ghost stuff, for sure, that was mine. … It’s a thing that you can do that’s been around … like Shakespeare does it, the Greeks do it. I love a good ghost in a movie, I feel like there’s something great about it. And there is something inherently hopeful about someone who has gone on still being present in your life. We all want to believe that, and we all sort of have those moments where we kind of feel like the person is there with us, even if you don’t see him. And I thought it just felt like the right thing. Like if Marcus is going to spend a moment or two on the other side, it seemed right that he would meet Captain Howard.
Between Will Smith’s dedication and loyalty and Will Beall’s personal touch, having Joe Pantoliano back for another ride feels like it was one of the easiest decisions in the world. While it took a bit of work to hammer out, the story for Ride or Die provided a good way in, leaving the world with what could be the Captain’s final message. Unless, of course, a potential Bad Boys 5 has Marcus playing psychic detective, with Captain Howard by his side. It could work.
If you’re looking to get in on the action with Mike and Marcus yet again, you can pre-order Bad Boys: Ride or Die on Amazon on physical media, as well as rent or buy the film through PVOD. And while we don’t know exactly when Bad Boys: Ride or Die will hit subscription streaming, Sony’s current deal with Netflix strongly tips that the platform for its eventual arrival is already set. So be sure to keep your badge (and your Netflix subscription) current.