Sony has put Men in Black III on the fast track for development and could begin filming as early as next spring.  The first Men in Black film, which was based on the comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, earned nearly $600 million in 1997 and spawned a Saturday morning cartoon (Men in Black: The Series), which ran from 1997-2001, as well as a 2002 sequel, Men in Black II.

Sony has hired the red hot scribe Etan Cohen to write the screenplay for the new MIB film, and Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the first two MIB features, is attached (though not signed) to direct.  According to The Reporter, Cohen, who wrote the very funny Tropic Thunder as well as Madagascar 2 and the new Sherlock Holmes film, is already “deep into his draft” of the script for MIB III.

THR also reports that MIB star Will Smith “is interested in returning” to the franchise that helped make a worldwide box office heavyweight.  According to The Reporter, “Smith does not have a go movie lined up.”