'Men in Black' spin-off to release in May 2019, Will Smith, Jones won't reprise roles

Los Angeles: 'Men in Black' spin-off will hit the theatres on May 17, 2019.

According to the sources, 'Iron Man' scribes Matt Holloway and Art Marcum will pen the script, reported Variety.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will not reprise their roles in the film, which is meant to launch a new franchise with fresh talent involved.

Sony had originally planned to combine the 'Men and Black' and '21 Jump Street' franchises, but have since shelved that idea.

Walter F Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing the film with Steven Spielberg executive producing. David Beaubaire is overseeing the project for Sony.

The original movie followed Smith and Jones, who played agents of a secret organisation known as the Men in Black and protected Earth from intergalactic bad guys.

The first film was a big success and produced two more sequels. The three films hauled a cumulative USD 1.7 billion worldwide.