Euphoria’s Eric Dane to Play the Villain in Bad Boys 4

The cast of Bad Boys 4 is coming together. While there had been tentative plans for a while to make a fourth installment of the action movie series, it wasn’t until February 2023 when it was officially announced by franchise stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. It was also revealed that that Bad Boys for Life directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi would be back to helm the sequel with returning screenwriter Chris Bremner penning the script. Vanessa Hudgens, who played weapons expert Kelly in Bad Boys for Life, was also signed on to reprise her role for the new film as well. Other returning stars include Paola Nunez and Alexander Ludwig.

Now, Deadline reports that Eric Dane has just been brought in to play the movie’s antagonist. As no plot details have been revealed, there isn’t any additional information about Dane’s role other than that he’s expected to be the villain. What we can presume is that the feature film will again team up longtime pals and fellow detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) when a dangerous new threat is introduced courtesy of Dane’s character.

Dane is well known for his role as Cal Jacobs in HBO’s hit series Euphoria, and he’s also starred on the TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and The Last Ship. More recently, he’s appeared in the film American Carnage, Little Dixie, and Americana. Last year, he spoke with us in a MovieWeb interview about the complicated character he plays in The Ravine.

Related: Vanessa Hudgens Set to Return for Bad Boys 4

Bad Boys 4 Wasn’t Canceled Despite Rumors

Last year, Smith gave his career a temporary setback when he attacked Chris Rock at the Academy Awards. Initially, there were reports that various projects with Smith attached were getting postponed if not outright canceled, and even Bad Boys 4 was rumored to be shelved. It’s possible that the studio waited for the heat to die down before picking back up with the project, feeling that nearly a full year since the Oscars fiasco was enough time for Smith to announced that the sequel was happening.

“It’s official, y’all,” Smith says alongside Lawrence in a video posted to Instagram in February. “Bad Boys for life, baby! For life!”

When Lawrence pointed out that the last movie was called Bad Boys for Life, Smith added, “We shouldn’t have called it that, though. But, this is Bad Boys 4, it’s official.”

Bad Boys 4 doesn’t yet have a premiere date, but production is underway.