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Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba's Bad Boys spin-off ordered to series

Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

DEREK LAWRENCE 

Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba are officially bad girls for life.

After initially being passed over by NBC, L.A.’s Finest, a spin-off of the Bad Boys film franchise, has been picked up by Charter Communications, making it Spectrum’s first original scripted series.


The series, from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, catches up with Syd Burnett, Union’s character from Bad Boys II, more than a decade after the events of the movie. The sister to Marcus (Martin Lawrence) and love interest to Mike (Will Smith) is now an LAPD detective partnered with Alba’s Nancy McKenna. Both actresses also serve as executive producers.

“The will they or wont they is over – it’s happening people!!!!” Union wrote on Instagram today. “LA’s Finest has been officially picked up by Charter Communications’… marking their first major series order for Spectrum. Cannot wait for you to watch @jessicaalba and I kick ass and take names! 13 episodes coming at ya in 2019!”

Speaking to EW earlier this year, Union said the idea for L.A.’s Finest was hatched over a night of drinks and wondering what her past characters would be up to. Then, after a phone call to Bruckheimer, who produced the films, the search for answers became official.

“Thankfully, she was so underdeveloped because it wasn’t really about her,” Union said of the film. “There’s so much more to Syd than even I realized.”

Meanwhile, Bad Boys for Life, the planned sequel to Bad Boys II, has remained in flux as directors and release dates have come and gone. Even Lawrence has been skeptical it will happen. “I don’t think we’re going to get one, not the way everything’s turning out,” he told EW last year. “If they wanted to do it, I’m ready, but I don’t have control of that. That’s the studio’s decision.”

All hope is not lost, however, as Sony gave the threequel a 2020 release date just last month.