Well-renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the man behind such major hits as Top Gun, The Rock, Con Air, Armageddon, and the Beverly Hills Cop, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, and National Treasure franchises, has come out in full support of Will Smith following The Slap Heard Around the World. Unwavering in his defense of the Oscar winning actor, Bruckheimer has now stated unequivocally that Will Smith will return for Bad Boys 4. If he wants to, of course…

Asked by THR if there is a “viable path forward for Bad Boys 4 with Will Smith” following the incident at the 94th Academy Awards, Bruckheimer is clear in his response, believing that there is always room for forgiveness. And hopes that audiences will feel the same should the Bad Boys sequel come to fruition.

“Absolutely [Will can come back]. I mean, Will made a mistake, unfortunately. That’s not who he is. He’s a phenomenal actor and there’s always forgiveness in the world. And hopefully, the audience will forgive him.”

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Both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence returned to the world of Bad Boys in 2020 after nearly two decades away. Bad Boys for Life sees them join the Miami Police Department’s special team AMMO to bring down the ruthless Armando. But the old-school, wisecracking cops must soon learn to get along with their new elite counterparts if they are to take down the vicious cartel that threatens their lives.

Directed by filmmaking duo Adil & Bilall, the third Bad Boys outing has seen huge success with both critics and audiences alike, as well as at the box office. Grossing $426.5 million worldwide, and thus becoming the third highest-grossing January release of all time, the fourth highest-grossing movie of 2020, and the highest-grossing installment in the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys 4 is now reportedly in early development.

Will Smith Recently Called the Oscars a ‘Horrific Night’

     Sony Pictures

As everybody now knows all too well, the 94th Academy Awards saw Will Smith taking to the stage and slapping comedian Chris Rock across the face after the latter made a joke about the former’s wife. What should have been Smith’s biggest night in his career was transformed into his worst, throwing the actor’s career and public image into turmoil. Smith recently commented on the incident, describing it as a “horrific night.”

“I have been away. What have y’all been doing? That was a horrific night, as you can imagine,” he said. “There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just — I lost it, you know?” Smith continued. “I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behavior at all… It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That is not who I want to be.”

Will Smith can currently be seen leading Emancipation for director Antoine Fuqua, which is now available to stream on Apple TV+.