Bad Boys for Life loses director Joe Carnahan

Bad Boys for Life is a man down.

Director Joe Carnahan has departed the third installment of Sony’s action franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as a pair of wisecracking Miami cops, EW has confirmed. According to sources with knowledge of the project, Carnahan exited over scheduling issues. The search for his replacement is already underway, with three filmmakers in the fold.

The director, whose previous credits include Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, and The Grey, also addressed his departure on Twitter Tuesday night, saying, “Scheduling conflicts happen all the time. Frank Grillo & I started WarParty & we’re building our company,” he said, referencing the new production company the duo created last summer. Carnahan recently announced he and Grillo are developing an American remake of the Indonesian martial arts movie The Raid.

Currently slated for release in Nov. 2018, Bad Boys for Life is to reunite Smith and Lawrence 15 years after Bad Boys II. That film and its 1995 predecessor, Bad Boys, were both directed by Michael Bay and combined to gross about $415 million at the worldwide box office. Sony has also expressed interest in making a fourth Bad Boys movie, at one point staking out a 2019 release date, but nothing is currently on the calendar.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported Carnahan’s departure.