Bad Boys 4 looks like it’ll be a fun movie based on its high-octane, action-packed trailer, but it’s not keeping a promise that Will Smith made for the sequel four years ago when Bad Boys for Life came out. Bad Boys 4, titled Bad Boys: Ride or Die, will see Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett trying to clear their late captain’s name when he’s posthumously accused of corruption. Helmed by returning Bad Boys for Life directors Adil & Bilall, Bad Boys: Ride or Die will be released on June 7, 2024.
There are a few familiar faces returning in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, including Joe Pantoliano appearing as Captain Conrad Howard after his character’s death. But there’s still no sign of Gabrielle Union reprising her role as DEA Special Agent Syd Burnett. Syd is Marcus’ younger sister who secretly dated Mike in Bad Boys II. She was a significant character in Bad Boys II and seemed to have a bright future in the franchise, but she still has yet to return – despite Smith’s promise to include her.
During a 2020 interview to promote Bad Boys for Life on The Breakfast Club, Smith and Martin Lawrence were asked why Union wasn’t brought back for the threequel. Lawrence said that they took the threequel’s story in a different direction and Smith added that “there was no spot [for Union] in the story.” He then said, “But definitely for Bad Boys 4!,” promising that she would be included in the next movie. But he didn’t keep that promise, because Bad Boys 4 is here and Union isn’t in it.
It’s a mistake to replace Union’s Syd in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, because she was a great character. Given her familial connection to Marcus and her romantic connection to Mike, Syd deserves a chance to return in this franchise, but she keeps being sidelined. The Bad Boys movies are very male-driven, and there’s a serious lack of strong female characters in this franchise. The last time Syd was seen, she was enjoying a barbecue with Mike and Marcus at the end of Bad Boys II.
The story of Bad Boys 4, in which Mike and Marcus are on the run from the feds and trying to clear their names, is crying out for Syd’s involvement. If her brother was being hunted by the U.S. government for a crime he didn’t commit, surely Syd would spring into action to help him. It’s getting tougher and tougher to explain Union’s absence – wouldn’t it be easier to just give her a role?
Source: The Breakfast Club