So where are the Bad Boys?
On Monday morning, they were in Fort Lauderdale.
We don’t mean your regular run-of-the-mill bad boys. We mean stunt doubles for actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, stars of the action-comedy “Bad Boys” franchise.
The busy stretch of A1A from Las Olas to Bayshore Drive was closed from 6 a.m. to noon Monday for filming of “Bad Boys 4.”
Mike Penrod, co-owner of the landmark Elbo Room bar, says everybody on the beach seemed thrilled to be able to watch the filming in action.
“Right now it’s the kick start for spring break,” Penrod said. “People are coming in from the snow and there’s Bad Boys 4 filming. They think it’s great. They don’t want to leave.”
A mobile chase camera for the “Bad Boys 4” scene being filmed on a closed A1A speeds by, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Porsche which is the lead car in the “Bad Boys 4” scene being filmed on a closed A1A is seen, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Stunt driving doubles for Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are seen in the Porsche which is the lead car in the “Bad Boys 4” scene being filmed on a closed A1A speeds by, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Extras watch as the Porsche which is the lead car in the “Bad Boys 4” scene being filmed on a closed A1A speeds by, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Spectators watch from the beach as a “Bad Boys 4” scene is being filmed on a closed A1A Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A movie crew sets up a camera on the beach adjacent to a closed A1A on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon for the filming of “Bad Boys 4." (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Porsche from “Bad Boys 4” heads down A1A in Fort Lauderdale on Monday. Parts of A1A were closed for filming Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The sidewalk at A1A and Las Olas Blvd., is seen, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon for the filming of “Bad Boys 4." (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Porsche which is the lead car in the “Bad Boys 4” scene being filmed on a closed A1A perfomrs a high speed u-turn, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fort Lauderdale Police block the road for the “Bad Boys 4” scene being filmed on a A1A, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Fort Lauderdale Police officer blocks access to the sidewalk for a “Bad Boys 4” scene being filmed on closed A1A Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. The main street on Fort Lauderdale beach was closed Monday from 6 a.m. to noon. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The first “Bad Boys” movie came out in 1995 and was a smash hit. The upcoming sequel is scheduled for release on June 14.
Filming has also been underway on the streets of Miami, lighting up social media.
One Instagram post shows stunt doubles speeding around town in a black Porsche, squealing around corners and snaking through multiple lanes before taking off on a ramp to Interstate 95.
“Obviously they hired a ‘local and experienced’ Miami driver,” one person commented under an Instagram video posted by “OnlyinDade.”
More wisecracks followed.
“That’s how drivers drive on a regular Monday,” said one post. “Didn’t know it was a film. Thought it was a normal Miami I-95 driver,” said another.
They weren’t the only ones joking around.
“I thought they were coming to film me because I’m such a bad boy,” Penrod said with a roguish laugh.
“It’s exciting that they’re filming in Fort Lauderdale,” Penrod added. “It’s so much prettier than South Beach anyway. It’s a different view. You see the water here. In Miami Beach, you see a sand dune.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at . Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
