Remember when Will Smith was reportedly circling Tim Burton's live-action Dumbo movie about a month ago? That was weird, right? Now it sounds like talks have fallen through, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. For folks who really wanted to see Smith star opposite the big-eared critter as "a father whose children fall in love with the titular elephant at the circus," it's certainly a shame. For fans of the Bad Boys franchise however, this likely comes as good news since it will clear Smith's schedule in the near future.

Deadline reports that talks between Smith and Disney have broken off, citing salary and scheduling conflicts. The studio is still moving "aggressively" to get the live-action remake of the 1941 animated classic in gear; Ehren Kruger wrote the script. So while Dumbo stumbles in the early going, Smith can now return to the previously announced projects in his pipeline.

First up, Suicide Squad director David Ayer's sci-fi/fantasy crime movie/supernatural thriller, Bright, which is currently in post-production. The Netflix Original, acquired for $90 million, also stars Joel Edgerton (as an orc...) and was scripted by Max Landis, who hopes it will become his Star Wars.

Then, of course, there's Bad Boys for Life, the third installment of the action franchise that stars Smith as Detective Mike Lowrey alongside Martin Lawrence as Detective Marcus Bennett. No plot details for writer-director Joe Carnahan's story are available at this time, but at least we know when the movie is supposed to roll out:

[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/ERCboxoffice/status/828773124577456129[/EMBED_TWITTER]

You'll notice, however, that Bad Boys 4 is TBD, in part due to the delay of the third film and in part, presumably, due to questions surrounding the franchise's longevity 15 years after the last movie.

Bummed that Smith won't be in Dumbo? Psyched that Bad Boys for Life is back on track? Let us know in the comments!

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Image via Sony