Why was Men In Black / 21 Jump Street crossover canceled? Cause explored as Channing Tatum believes it could work

The Men In Black / 21 Jump Street crossover has been praised by Channing Tatum as one of the best scripts he's ever read, and he still wants to see it done.

It was meant to be the decade's most epic crossover film - Men In Black, infusing itself with 21 Jump Street, bringing two great comic franchises together to elevate together.

The popularity of both series was enough to establish the idea in the minds of creative on both sides, but the crossover film was finally shelved after years of figuring out the details.

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Why was Men In Black / 21 Jump Street crossover canceled?

21 Jump Street star Channing Tatum stated in an interview with Collider that the long-awaited Men In Black crossover might still happen, but that Sony and producers remain the ones from making it happen. He went on to say,

"There's [Steven] Spielberg, Neil Moritz, and Walter Parks. They're giant producers, y'know, on that. And then once everybody is kinda like, not willing to come off their fee, you end up having a producer fee that is essentially, maybe more than the actual budget on the movie."

The issue with producer contracts is that when a picture is made, each producer receives a fee. Some older contracts, such as those for Men In Black, were written to give producers more power or pay them more money.

When it comes to developing a crossover with these franchises, producers must be compensated, which could have a significant impact on a film's budget. This may make it impossible for Men In Black / 21 Jump Street to generate a profit in this instance.

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Why is Channing Tatum convinced that a crossover would work?

Channing Tatum described the crossover as,

"By and away the best third sequel to any franchise that I've ever read, in my entire life."

As per the plotline, the main concept for the crossover was that something uncanny would happen to Jonah and Channing while they were in medical school that got them entangled in the world of Men In Black. This would end them teaming up together to stop an extraterrestrial invasion.

The Muppets' James Bobin was set to oversee the enormous project at one point, and while the plot was kept under wraps, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller recently revealed further details about how the crossover would take place. Miller explained further, saying,

“So, it was very funny, it was very crazy, trying to sort of like manage these two franchises and not drive them both into the ground seemed like a real challenge."

Unfortunately, the film was never completed, despite Miller and Lord's claims that it came very close to happening.