Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Etan Cohen, the film stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, with Jemaine Clement, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bill Hader and Emma Thompson in supporting roles.

Despite rumors of a fallout between Smith and Sonnenfeld during the filming of Men in Black II, their returns were confirmed alongside Jones by May 2010, after being announced the previous year.

David Koepp and Jeff Nathanson were later hired to perform uncredited rewrites to Cohen's original screenplay and principal photography began that November.

Filming was split into two parts, first occurring between November and December 2010, and restarting between April and June 2011, taking place primarily in New York City.

It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of the cast (particularly Brolin's), and was considered an improvement over its predecessor.

In 2012, alien criminal Boris the Animal escapes from a maximum-security prison on the Moon to take revenge on Men in Black (MiB) Agent K, who shot off his arm and arrested him in 1969.

At MiB headquarters, J's superior, Agent O, denies his request for further information on Boris' apprehension; only revealing that around the same time, K also deployed the ArcNet, an interplanetary shield that prevented the now extinct Boglodites from invading Earth.

Though J retains his memories, he briefly suffers from strange side effects, which O identifies as signs that the space-time continuum was fractured before Earth is threatened by a Boglodite invasion.

Following a series of clues, the pair reach the Factory, where undercover MiB agent Andy Warhol directs them to an Archanan named Griffin, who can view all possible outcomes and escaped to Earth after the Boglodites destroyed his planet.

The colonel subsequently assists them in reaching the rocket while Griffin leaves, assuring J that history will be restored once K takes Boris' arm.

Witnessing the events from afar, J realizes the colonel was his father and his younger self's presence kept him from forgetting K. Returning to a restored 2012, J reconciles with K while Griffin tells the viewers "this is [his] new favorite moment in human history."

Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Yao Ming, and Tim Burton make uncredited cameo appearances as aliens on the TV monitors.

Jared Johnston, Ken Arnold, and Jonathan Drew portray Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, respectively.

"[10] It was reported that Smith and executives were leery about bringing back Sonnenfeld because of conflicts on the set of Men in Black II.

[11] In a lawsuit filed against his former agents over commissions, Sonnenfeld alleged that Sony considered other directors for Men in Black 3.

[27] Filming was ultimately split into two parts, the first taking place from November until about Christmas 2010; the filmmakers announced shooting would begin again in mid-February, but it was delayed until April.

[28][29][30][31] Set photos for the film appeared online on November 17, 2010, showing Smith, Jones, Emma Thompson, and Nicole Scherzinger.

This is the first time Frank the Pug was absent in a Men in Black movie, as well as Chief Zed, Jack Jeebs, and actor David Cross.

There were also many songs from the 1960s that feature, including "2000 Light Years from Home" by the Rolling Stones, "I'm Waiting for the Man" by the Velvet Underground, "Strange Brew" by Cream, and "Pictures of Matchstick Men" by Status Quo.

The site's critical consensus reads, "It isn't exactly a persuasive argument for the continuation of the franchise–but Men in Black III is better than its predecessor and manages to exceed expectations.

[60] Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, in particular praising Brolin's role as the young Agent K, which he cited as an excellent example of good casting.

"[62] A. O. Scott of The New York Times also gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and commented, "Men in Black 3 arrives in the multiplexes of the world with no particular agenda.

"[63] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly noted, "Sonnenfeld and Cohen move their baby along with an integrity and gait that ought to serve as a blueprint for other filmmakers faced with the particular challenges of reviving big-ticket and time-dated hunks of pop culture.

"[66] Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald gave the film 1 out of 4 stars and stated, "Men in Black 3 is so dull and empty, it's the first movie that has ever made me think 'Thank God this is in 3D.

In July 2012, Columbia chief executive Doug Belgrad said: We're very pleased with the financial performance of Men in Black 3, and we believe it is an ongoing franchise.

The news was leaked after Sony's system was hacked[73] and then confirmed by the directors of the Jump Street films, Chris Miller and Phil Lord, during an interview.