It’s been proposed that if the Men in Black are tasked with overseeing extraterrestrial activity worldwide, one might wonder why their onscreen adventures often unfold in New York City. The initial intention was to depict a broader remit for this covert alien-fighting agency across various locations, but for narrative and dramatic purposes, the films have predominantly focused on New York City.
In a chat with Inverse, screenwriter Ed Solomon disclosed that the storyline for the 1997 original (now available on Peacock together with the first two sequels) originally spanned across the entire United States. However, when Barry Sonnenfeld came aboard as director, the setting was changed.
Men in Black nearly took place all over the United States — why that changed
According to Solomon, Barry preferred changing the setting of the story from various locations across the country to solely New York City, as he thought that aliens might reside there. He put it this way: “I want it to be like ‘The French Connection’, but with aliens.” So, we transformed J’s character from a Secret Service agent to a police officer and made the story more akin to beat cops in Manhattan, but with an alien twist.
Sonnenfeld commented, “For a long time I’ve been joking that if there are aliens, they must be living in New York. The reason being is that they blend in so well, they don’t need to hide their identities or wear disguises.
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In the movie, focusing on New York City as the setting proved beneficial. By keeping the scenery minimal and uncomplicated, it allowed for a greater emphasis on developing the unusual bond between novice J (Will Smith) and veteran K (Tommy Lee Jones), the film’s primary characters. Although the opening scene briefly hints at the agency’s broader reach in the gripping sequence where Agents K and D (Richard Hamilton) eliminate Mikey in the American Southwest, it is important to note that there is no Division 6.
In the sequel, character J teams up with a youthful K (Josh Brolin). Together, they journey to Cape Canaveral with the objective of vanquishing Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) and placing the ArcNet orbiting Earth via the Apollo 11 spacecraft. It wouldn’t be until another seven years that it would be discovered that the Men in Black headquarters are located at various global outposts, as depicted in Men in Black: International.
The original “Men in Black” continues to be cherished as an exemplary fusion of the buddy cop genre and sci-fi, but it seems the production process was quite challenging, especially for the scriptwriters, notably Solomon who experienced multiple revisions of the script. Fortunately, all their hard work ultimately proved worthwhile.
Reflecting on the experience, I recall attending a movie screening that left me feeling deeply moved in a good sense. The reason? The production process of this film was incredibly taxing for me due to its lengthy duration and numerous revisions, with countless drafts.
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2025-01-10 20:31