There have been rumblings of a return to the Men in Black franchise since Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reunited in 2012 for the third film, most recently as a planned crossover with Sony's 21 Jump Street. Now comes word that the studio will revisit the sci-fi comedy not with a sequel or a crossover, but with a spinoff.

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Deadline reports the currently untitled project, written by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum (Iron Man, Transformers: The Last Knight) has staked out a release date of May 17, 2019.

Smith and Jones aren't expected to return to their respective roles of Agents J and K, members of a top-secret organization devoted to monitoring alien lifeforms on Earth. The film will instead reportedly focus on new characters. The spinoff is said to have more of a global focus, with an ambition that's said to be for Men in Black what Jurassic World was to that series.

No director has been attached, although Deadline says a decision should be made fairly soon.

As for that crossover film with Jump Street? That's apparently still in the works, but the spinoff has been given priority by Sony.