The first three Men in Black movies undoubtedly had a significant influence on Gen-Z and well as the millennials. The franchise has been highly successful at the international box office, with the three movies collectively grossing over $1.6 billion worldwide.
The movies helped actors Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones become household names. The iconic characters of Agent J and Agent K sported their distinctive black suits and sunglasses that made the movies quite famous. Any Hollywood actor would’ve loved to be a part of the franchise when it peaked. Mark Wahlberg got the opportunity to star in Men in Black 3, however, Josh Brolin swooped in at the last moment and got the role.
Mark Wahlberg was supposed to play young Agent K
The Men in Black 3 required an actor to play the young version of Agent K alongside Will Smith. Since Men in Black 2 didn’t quite meet the fans’ expectations, it was really important for the creators to do something innovative.
Actor Mark Wahlberg was supposed to play that role, however, Josh Brolin then auditioned for the role and his spot-on impression of Tommy Lee Jones got him the role.
Josh Brolin worked really hard to get the role
Actor Josh Brolin, who is well-known for voicing Thanos in the MCU, was so determined to play young Tommy Lee Jones that he used to listen to his voice on a tape recorder on the sets of the movie. Director Barry Sonnenfeld once revealed,
“Brolin, the entire time we worked together, had a tape recorder of the first Men in Black, and whenever he was on the set, he was listening to Tommy’s lilt. Tommy has the most musical voice. It’s a beautiful voice. It really flows and ebbs. It’s really sing-songy. And Brolin did a fantastic job. He made me cry so many times watching him.”
Now obviously the creators had to make a decision and ultimately, Brolin got the role while Wahlberg left the project entirely.
Barry Sonnenfeld met Mark Wahlberg
Telling an actor that someone else came in at the last moment and stole his role is not easy, but Barry Sonnenfeld did what had to be done. The director said,
“I ended up having to meet Mark Wahlberg. And Mark was lovely. He was great. He would have been great in the role. But I wanted Brolin. So I got Brolin, and thank God, the studio backed me up. But they were really nervous about making Ari upset that I didn’t go with his guy.”
Ari Emanuel is a Hollywood agent that wanted Wahlberg to play the role in the movie.
Related: The 21 Jump Street/Men In Black Crossover We Almost Got
Source: CheatSheet
