'Men in Black' spin-off confirmed, won't star Will Smith

The alien-hunting 'Men in Black' are officially returning back to big screens.

According to The Independent, Sony has fast-tracked a spin-off of the franchise to hit cinemas on 17 May, 2019.

More importantly, the original film's leading stars which included Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, are not expected to reprise their roles.

The script, penned by 'Iron Man' and 'Transformers: The Last Knight's Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, is set within the same universe as the previous films, but puts a contemporary spin on the franchise that captures things on a more global scale.

Sony is hoping to do something similar to 'Jurassic World', which changed up the stakes while still acknowledging the history of previous films.

According to producer Walter F. Parkes, "It's so rare to get to the end of the script and know you're holding a movie in your hands, but Art and Matt have written a spinoff that somehow is true to the core of the MiB world and yet expands the franchise to a fresh new place."

Reportedly there is also a planned crossover movie that would pit the worlds of 'Men in Black' and '21 Jump Street' together.

The three-part film series has grossed over USD 1.655 billion at the Box-Office on a production budget of approximately USD 445 million.