Will Smith reprises his favorite role in Men In Black 3

MANILA, Philippines - “The

Men in Black

movies are about the relationship between Agents J and K,” says Will Smith, who returns to one of his signature and favorite roles, Agent J, in Columbia Pictures’ eagerly anticipated adventure-comedy,

Men in Black 3

.

“This movie brings that home — it’s about the power and origin of their relationship. It’s actually an idea we’ve had for years — we had the concept before the second movie — but it needed time to mature. What we had to do was elevate the story, and the only way to do that is to go deeper, deeper into the characters, deeper into the revelations that the movie would reveal.”

In the film, Agents J and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back... in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him —secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

It has been 10 years since the Men in Black were last seen protecting the Earth from the scum of the universe, and since then, there has been rampant speculation about a third film — but Smith says that it was always a given that there would be a third film. “We came to a point where we all felt that we had a fresh and compelling story that took the audience to a time and place they had not seen in this franchise,” says Smith.

For his part, Smith was excited to put the black suit and shades on again. Agent J is one of his favorite characters and as he made his long-awaited return to the role there was nothing quite like getting into costume. “You can’t beat the black suit,” he says. “It’s such powerful, iconic imagery. You put on the suit and the shades and it throws you into the mental space of the Men in Black. It’s like a childhood fantasy — you know things that the other people don’t know and you’ve got the most important job in the world. The seven-year-old boy in me comes running out when I put the black suit on.”

Opening across the Philippines on May 23 in 3D and regular theaters, Men in Black 3 will be distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join fan contests.