Sony Pictures hack: 21 Jump Street set for 'rad and powerful' Men in Black crossover

The idea of merging the two franchises was discussed in private emails

Good guys: Men in Black became the title of a movie in 1997, when Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones linked up, armed with enormous guns and memory-obliterating wands (Rex Features)

Leaked Sony emails have revealed that a very different 21 Jump Street movie may be on the cards - a “rad” Men in Black crossover no less.

The idea of merging the two hit franchises was discussed in private messages between actor Jonah Hill, Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal and Columbia Pictures production president Hannah Minghella.

Hill, who stars alongside Channing Tatum in the Jump Street movies, described the idea as “clean and rad and powerful” while Minghella noted that they “don’t have a script yet so will be greenlighting the movie off the concept and the talent involved”.

Sadly the emails suggest that Men in Black co-leads Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones would not be involved in the film, which is being considered but has not yet been greenlighted, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller would be asked to produce the crossover movie and maybe even direct it.

Emails also hint that Sony executives would like to release the film in either 2016 or 2017 in the hope that it will put Men in Black back into the spotlight after 2012’s Men in Black 3 lost money for the studio.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black (Rex Features)

“We didn’t do as well as we had hoped for on the last MIB film but that hasn’t caused us to lose faith in the franchise,” Sony Picture’s Andrew Gumpert wrote to Steven Spielberg’s attorney with the aim of securing the director’s approval.

The perpetrators remain unknown with prime suspect North Korea denying involvement despite calling the hack a "righteous deed".