Michael Bay has parted ways with Netflix's upcoming action thriller "Fast and Loose," amidst artistic disparities with lead actor Will Smith, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Centered around a criminal kingpin who, following an assault, loses his memory and gradually uncovers his dual existence as a CIA operative, "Fast and Loose" boasts a screenplay crafted by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Chris Bremner, and Eric Pearson. The Hoeber brothers penned the original draft before selling it to Netflix.
With aspirations to commence production in 2026, Netflix is now focusing its efforts on securing a filmmaker to helm the project, following Bay's departure. Earlier in October, THR reported Bay's involvement as director. Notably, "Fast and Loose" was already in development before Smith's controversial Oscars slap incident in 2022. Prior to that, David Leitch had exited the project a week before the infamous Academy Awards broadcast to commence work on "The Fall Guy," an action-comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, released by Universal Pictures last year.
Among the producers for "Fast and Loose" are Leitch and Kelly McCormick for 87North, alongside Smith. Robert Simonds and Noah Fogelson serve as executive producers for STXfilms. This marks a reunion for Bay and Smith, who previously collaborated on the 1995 action-comedy "Bad Boys" and its 2003 sequel. More recently, Smith and Martin Lawrence reprised their iconic roles in "Bad Boys for Life," which Sony Pictures released theatrically last summer. The film, grossing over $400 million worldwide, significantly rejuvenated Smith's status as a sought-after movie star amidst the aftermath of the Oscars scandal.
Bay's most recent directorial endeavor was the 2022 Universal film "Ambulance," starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Renowned for his work on the "Transformers" franchise, Bay also helmed the Ryan Reynolds-led Netflix action film "6 Underground" in 2019. Among his upcoming projects is a feature film adaptation of the video game franchise "OutRun," starring Sydney Sweeney.
