MEN IN BLACK 3D Update – Will Smith Has Signed, Tommy Lee Jones is in, Will be in 3D

At Sony’s 2009 ShoWest presentation, Rory Bruer (the President of Sony Worldwide Distribution) announced they were developing another Men in Black movie and he mentioned the year 2011.  It looks like the plan is coming together, as Showbiz411 is reporting Will Smith has officially signed on to director Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black 3D and Tommy Lee Jones will be back as Agent K.

With Sony not having any big tentpole releases in either May or June 2011 as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 got shelved, it would make sense to get an already established franchise into next summer’s schedule. And even though May 2011 is busy with Marvel’s Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Hangover 2 and Mission Impossible IV, having Will Smith in your movie is as close to a sure bet as any actor in Hollywood.

More after the jump:

The big news about Will Smith signing on means this might actually be his next project.  Since Seven Pounds got released, Smith hasn’t gotten in front of the cameras even though he’s been rumored/attached to Francis Lawrence’s The City That Sailed, Independence Day 2, a remake of Alfred Hitchock’s Suspicion, he might team up with Denzel Washington for a remake of Uptown Saturday Night, and we reported that he might team up with Steven Spielberg for a new adaptation of Flowers for Algernon.

Perhaps signing on for MIB 3D will kick start Smith acting in a few movies and this is just the beginning of him getting back in front of the camera.

And about the 3D, my fingers are crossed that director Barry Sonnenfeld is going to shoot Men in Black 3 with 3D cameras and not try and do it in post.  As everyone has started to figure out, shooting in 3D makes all the difference in the world.  Also, if Sony want to release MIB next year, they probably won’t have the time to do a great conversion in post and shooting in 3D would solve that issue.

More as we hear it.