Dare we say the will they, won't they of "Bad Boys 3" seems to be moving in the direction fans want?

The long-awaited sequel is likely to get a green light soon, Variety reports. Now, to be fair, we've heard that before -- Will Smith said in December 2016 that the film was "very, very, very close" -- yet this time, there may be good reason to hope it really is. Word is that Will Smith is already on board, Martin Lawrence is in talks, and production could start as soon as early 2019.

Sony declined to comment on the news, as Variety reported, so nothing is official. Nonetheless, we're cautiously optimistic. "Bad Boys 3" was previously set for a January 2020 release date, and production kicking off in early 2019 seems to be in line with keeping that scheduled date.

There have been a lot of starts and stops for "Bad Boys" fans over the years, but we just keep hoping the sequel is eventually going to come for us.

[via: Variety]