Michael Bay has reportedly departed production on Will Smith’s upcoming Netflix action film over ‘creative differences.’
Transformers director Bay, 60, was set to helm Fast And Loose for the streaming service, with Smith, 56, in the lead role.
It is set to follow the story of a crime boss who, after being attacked, wakes up with no memories of his life. As he recovers, he slowly realises he was leading a double life as a CIA agent.
But it has been reported that Bay has left the film after he and Smith disagreed over the tone the narrative should take.
Per a Deadline report, it has been claimed that Bay wants to lean heavily into the action elements of the script, while Smith is keen to amp up the comedic factors.
The publication states Netflix is keen to begin production on the film in 2026 and is looking for a replacement filmmaker.
Bay and Smith first collaborated in 1995 with Bay’s hit action film Bad Boys, which catapulted Smith to stardom.
They collaborated on the 2002 sequel Bad Boys II, and while Bay didn’t direct Bad Boys For Life or Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, he did have cameos in both films.
Fast And Loose will be the second film Smith has made since the infamous Oscars incident in 2022, in which he slapped Chris Rock for comments he made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Action thriller Emancipation was the actor’s first post-slap film, which was released in December 2022.
In April, he shared he planned to release a sequel to hit 2007 apocalyptic horror I Am Legend, based on the film’s alternative ending, in which his character survived.
Sinners star Michael B Jordan is also attached to the project, and there is no release date as yet.
‘What we were gonna do was the prequel, so we were gonna do the prequel,’ he told REVOLT‘s Drink Champs podcast.
He added: ‘[Akiva Goldsman] was like, but wait, what if we make a new version from the alternate ending, where your character is still alive and you know, Michael B. Jordan’s character currently is the head of a new settlement… He’s not my son… So there’s a settlement in Connecticut.’
Bay, meanwhile, is reportedly in talks to direct a new Transformers movie after last helming one of the franchise’s movies in 2017.
Per Deadline, he is also slated to direct an in-development adaptation of the racing game OutRun, which will star Sydney Sweeney.
Metro has contacted representatives for Michael Bay and Will Smith for comment
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