Celebrity American actor returns after three years out of the pictures for ‘Men in Black 3’
BOB THOMPSON

POSTMEDIA NEWS

Will Smith’s been out of pictures for three years, but he’s back with Men in Black 3 .

Suffering from third-degree burnout, Smith took a break from an incredibly successful 18-year run. The Oscar-nominated actor’s movies earned more than US$5.7 billion at the box office across the world.

The former Fresh Prince of Bel Air TV star didn’t exactly stay at home to count his money during his unofficial sabbatical, though. He was a producer on the successful 2010 remake of The Karate Kid , which starred his son, Jaden. And the former rapper helped his daughter, Willow, with her music career. She had a hit with the single Whip My Hair last year. Now, Smith returns re-energized with Men in Black 3 , which opens in theatres May 25. In the 3-D comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Agent J (Smith) travels back in time to the 1960s. His mission is to save Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) from being assassinated, and thwart an alien invasion. New to the cast is Josh Brolin, who plays the 1960s version of Agent K. Emma Thompson is Agent O, and Alice Eve plays the 1960s O. Jemaine Clement is Boris, the alien manipulator,plotting to destroy earth.

Initially, it was Smith who had the time-travel idea back when Sonnenfeld, Smith and Jones were filming the second Men in Black movie more than a decade ago. The logistics of the story proved to be more challenging than they thought it would be, but Smith said the extra effort was worth the time-travel hassle in his conversation with Postmedia: Q: Why choose Men in Black 3 for your return to the big screen?

A: I wanted to put on some shoes that I knew would fit. It felt like home.

Q: Besides the comedy, and lots of Men in Black alien battles, the third film has an emotional subtext to it, as well.Why include that?

A: We wanted some dumb and silly … but it’s 10 years later. We wanted to have some meat to chew on this time. There has to be some message. I think