In what could be a blend of action-packed hilarity and interstellar intrigue, Channing Tatum is advocating for a blockbuster crossover that fans could only dream of. Tatum recently discussed an ambitious project that would merge the worlds of ’21 Jump Street’ and ‘Men In Black’—a film tentatively titled ‘MIB 23’.
This proposed crossover gained public attention during the infamous 2014 Sony email leak. Tatum confirmed that the movie, once in development, still holds a special place in his heart. Speaking to ComicBook.com, he revealed, “There is a project that was written, and it’s still the best script that I’ve ever read for a third movie.”
Following his roles alongside Jonah Hill in the hit comedies ’21 Jump Street’ (2012) and its sequel ’22 Jump Street’ (2014), Tatum has been keen to see the crossover come to life. The original ’21 Jump Street’ films, adaptations of the 1987-1991 Fox series, featured Tatum and Hill as undercover cops posing as high school students. The movies also included cameos from the TV show’s stars, Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson, Peter DeLuise, Richard Grieco, and Dustin Nguyen.
In a conversation with his ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ co-star Scarlett Johansson, Tatum disclosed the challenges that stalled the crossover. Written by ‘Jump Street’ scribes Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the project was abandoned by 2019 due to “a lot of bureaucracy, kind of above the line stuff.”
Despite these setbacks, Tatum remains optimistic. He expressed his desire to revisit the project, saying, “It’s really hard to get it made, and we’ve been trying to get it done. But you know what, I’m going to put some good juju out there, and I’m going to say I would love to see 23 Jump Street. I would love to do it with Jonah, and Jonah I know wants to do it. We would love to just get to go play again.”
According to Time, ‘MIB 23’ would have seen Tatum and Hill’s characters recruited into the extraterrestrial policing agency. However, original ‘Men In Black’ stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were not expected to play significant roles in the crossover.
In addition to this project, there were plans for a female-led spin-off titled ‘Jump Street: Now For Her Pleasure’, penned by sister screenwriters Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin. This spin-off was rumored to be eyeing stars such as Zendaya, Awkwafina, and Tiffany Haddish.
The blend of Tatum’s comedic charm and the sci-fi allure of the ‘Men In Black’ universe remains an enticing concept, and fans, much like Tatum, can only hope for its eventual realization.
