British actress Emma Thompson of “Harry Potter” and “Beauty and the Beast” fame will provide an on-screen link to previous outings in the “Men in Black” franchise, reprising her role as the intergalactic investigative agency’s chief.
With filming on 2019’s “Men in Black” already underway, Emma Thompson has become the first returning cast member confirmed for the soft reboot.
For the moment titled “Men in Black” in reference to the 1997 franchise opener, the new excursion stars Tessa Thompson alongside Chris Hemsworth (both from 2017 superhero hit “Thor: Ragnarok”), with Liam Neeson of “The Dark Knight Rises” and the “Star Wars” prequels as a divisional chief within the Men in Black organization.
Due for release in June 2019, this fourth film in the series is being directed by F. Gary Gray, whose career comeback has been red hot after “Straight Outta Compton” led to “Fast and Furious 8.”
Like its predecessors, “MIB” is to blend action and comedy with aliens-on-earth escapades.
Previous films had Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as agents J and K, but the pair are not currently expected to feature in this new project.
Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley,” “The Big Sick”), Rafe Spall (“The BFG,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), and Laurent and Larry Bourgeois, also known as French hip-hop dancers Les Twins, were earlier cast in undisclosed roles.