Martin Lawrence Originally Wanted Eddie Murphy For 'Bad Boys.' What Convinced Him That Will Smith Was The Right Choice

Thanks to their work on the "Bad Boys" movies, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith have made up one of the most iconic big-screen duos for decades now. Fans surely love the thrills that the action movie saga offers, though I’d argue that it's the chemistry between the two leads that’s really made this franchise shine. So it’s somewhat hard to imagine anyone else but Smith and Lawrence playing the roles of Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively. However, it turns out that Lawrence initially wanted someone else to be his co-star: Eddie Murphy. The actor recently explained why Murphy didn’t end up joining up with him and shed light on what convinced him that Smith was the right choice.

Most fans are surely aware that Sony Pictures’ box office hit of a franchise began back in the mid ‘90s. What they may not be aware of, though, is the fact that it was first offered to Martin Lawrence as a potential big-screen vehicle. The veteran actor reflected on that while appearing at a Q&A alongside Will Smith in promotion of the upcoming "Bad Boys: Ride or Die." It was at that point that he revealed his initial desire to have Eddie Murphy play his on-screen partner.