Can Martin Lawrence be The Better Man?

Hey, look kids: Martin Lawrence is getting to star in another comedy. Hooray! No, come back: this time the new film’s director is claiming that we’ll see a whole new side of Lawrence. His back, maybe?

Anyhow, the man best known for one half of Bad Boys and about a third of the body weight in the Big Momma’s House movies will next tackle The Better Man, a life-affirming tale for Universal that finds a famed chat show host re-evaluating his life choices after returning to his parents’ home for their 50th anniversary. Malcolm Lee, who most recently directed Roll Bounce, will kick off shooting the film in March and seems convinced that his leading man can pull off more than his usual gurning performance. "There's emotion and pathos here that give Martin a chance to display more layers than usual," Lee gushed to Variety. He’d better. We’re still trying to wipe Rebound from our memories. So… much… pain…

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