MEN IN BLACK 3 Director Was Almost Forced To Cast Mark Wahlberg As The Young Tommy Lee Jones

Men in Black 3 director Barry Sonnenfeld reflects on casting Josh Brolin as the young Agent K in the threequel, but reveals how he was pressured to instead consider Spenser Confidential's Mark Wahlberg...

By JoshWilding - Apr 23, 2020 03:04 AM EST

Filed Under: Men in Black

Released in 2012, Men in Black 3 brought back original stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, though the latter was given a reduced role in the time-travelling adventure. Playing the new Agent K was future Avengers: Endgame star Josh Brolin, but director Barry Sonnenfeld has now revealed that things could have played out quite a bit differently.

During a recent interview with Cinema Blend, he explained that there was some pressure behind the scenes not to cast Brolin (who was widely praised for his performance). Instead, Transformers: The Last Knight star Mark Wahlberg was suggested as a possible doppelgänger for Jones.

"One of the most powerful agents there are is a guy named Ari Emanuel," the filmmaker explained. "He's the head of William Morris Endeavor. And he's really good friends with Mark Wahlberg. And he really wanted Mark Wahlberg to play young Tommy Lee Jones. And I think Mark would have done a great job. But I think Brolin was born to play Tommy."

Sonnenfeld explained that he always wanted Brolin as Agent K, and Sony Pictures actually backed him on that decision. He admits to being "nervous" about going against Emanuel's wishes, but was quick to point out that, "Mark was lovely. He was great."

Do you think the director made the right choice sticking with Brolin in his Men in Black threequel?

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