In 1995, “Bad Boys” made Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and director Michael Bay household names. Eight years later, the men returned triumphant for “Bad Boys II,” an explosive sequel that felt like a coronation of three Hollywood superstars. Now, after another seven years, Lawrence said the “Boys” are back in town — and that talk of another sequel is very real.

“It’s real realistic,” the comedian revealed to MTV News recently, addressing rumors that he’ll re-team with Bay and the former Fresh Prince once again. “We’ve talked about ‘Bad Boys 3.’ “ 

When he made the original film, Bay was a video director looking to break through in Hollywood; now, he oversees massive productions of films like the “Transformers” movies. Back in 1995, Will Smith was slowly overcoming his teen-oriented-rapper stigma as the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” TV show was winding down and small movies like “Six Degrees of Separation” were earning him decent reviews; nowadays, he is arguably the most bankable movie star in the world.

Some would wonder why outlandish-but-effective detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett would pop up again now, when the “Bad Boys” talents each have successful careers of their own (Lawrence just opened “Death at a Funeral” this past weekend). According to Martin, however, the time to reunite is now.

“Any time you can get Big Willie to come out and talk about doing a third installment of a hot movie like ‘Bad Boys,’ you have to take notice,” Lawrence explained. “I met with Michael Bay, and he said he’s onboard too — so it’s real.”

Writer Peter Craig is putting together a script for Columbia, and the “Bad Boys” team is ready.

“I got Big Willie to come down and see me about the movie. I felt special,” Lawrence said of a visit Smith paid to his friend recently to talk about getting the band back together, adding that at this point, the green light is in the hands of the franchise producer. “We’re just waiting on Jerry Bruckheimer to let us know when it’s really real.”

What do you want to see in a third “Bad Boys” movie? Let us know in the comments!