Metamorphosis of 'Men in Black'

Men in Black (abbreviated as MIB) is a 1997 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Ed Solomon, based on the Marvel Comics series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith respectively star as Agent K and Agent J, who investigate a series of seemingly unrelated criminal incidents related to the extraterrestrials who live in secret on Earth. Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio and Rip Torn appear in supporting roles. Development for the film began in 1992, after producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald optioned the rights to the comic book series. Solomon was soon hired to write the screenplay; Sonnenfeld was the preferred directorial choice, which resulted in delays due to his commitments to other film projects and a failure to secure any alternative directors. Principal photography began in March 1996 and lasted until that June, primarily taking place in New York City. The film's visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic and its soundtrack contains the theme song of the same title, performed by Smith, as well as the score, composed by Danny Elfman. Men in Black premiered at Pacific's Cinerama Dome in Hollywood on June 25, 1997 and was theatrically released in the United States on July 2 by Sony Pictures Releasing through its Columbia Pictures label. It received critical acclaim for its screenplay, humor and action sequences, as well as Jones's and Smith's performances and chemistry. The film was a box-office success, grossing more than $589.4 million worldwide and becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1997 as well as the ninth-highest-grossing film of the decade. It won for Best Makeup and was additionally nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score at the 70th Academy Awards, among numerous other accolades. A sequel was released in 2002, a third film was released in 2012 and a stand-alone sequel with Jones and Smith absent was released in 2019.