Michael Bay Exits ‘Fast and Loose’ Over Creative Clashes with Will Smith

Here comes Slick Willie with more creative interference, this time he’s clashing with Michael Bay.

A few weeks ago, I very briefly mentioned having heard that Bay’s “Fast and Loose,” starring Will Smith, was supposed to begin production in August. Well, it’s August and the project is clearly not going to be shooting this month as it’s just hit a major bump. Netflix is now searching for a new director. Bay has suddenly departed the action vehicle.

Deadline’s sources indicate that Bay and Smith couldn’t come to terms creatively, with both parties pulling the film in opposite tonal directions. Bay officially exited the project yesterday.

The film, which is now supposed to shoot in October, follows a man who wakes up in Tijuana with amnesia, only to discover he’s been living a double life—half crime kingpin, half undercover CIA operative. The script comes courtesy of Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Chris Bremner, and Eric Pearson, and leans into both action and comedy.

Word is, Bay wanted to go all in on the action, while Smith preferred a more comedic sensibility. This was supposed be their ‘Bad Boys’ reunion, but it shall finally not be realizedthe case.

This isn’t the first time Smith has butted heads creatively with a director—if anything, it’s become something of a pattern. “Hitch” director Andy Tennant described making the film as a “battle,” marked by major creative disagreements between him and Smith. In 2017, Joe Carnahan quit “Bad Boys 3” due to creative differences with the actor. Alfonso Gomez‑Rejón also exited “Collateral Beauty” in 2015, just as filming was about to begin, again citing creative differences.

Bay, for his part, has plenty cooking. He’s in talks with Paramount for a return to the ‘Transformers’ franchise, for a potential reboot or sequel, we’re not entirely sure. Over at Universal, he’s supposed to direct “OutRun,” starring Sydney Sweeney, and based on the classic arcade game.

Bay, who specializes in on-screen explosions, hasn’t directed a film since 2022’s “Ambulance,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which, no pun intended, bombed at the box office with a $22M domestic haul.