For Some Reason 'Big Momma's House 3' Is Happening

Fans of terrible cross-dressing comedies rejoice! Fox have announced the third installment in the “Big Momma’s House” series. Martin Lawrence will once again be donning the wrinkly fat suit as an FBI agent who has to inexplicably pretend to be an old lady in order to crack cases (seriously, three movies based on that premise?), and in “Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son,” he will be joined by Brandon T. Jackson, as his offspring Charmaine. Also joining the cast are Faizon Love, Emily Rios, Portia Doubleday and Michelle Ang.

The plot this time around finds “Big Momma (Lawrence) and Charmaine (Jackson) go undercover at an all-girls performing-arts school to unmask a murderer. Love will play Kurtis Kool, a school security guard and former Run-D.M.C. roadie who becomes smitten with Big Momma. Rios, Doubleday and Ang will play students at the school who befriend Jackson’s character.” John Whitesell, who directed “Big Momma’s House 2” and was responsible for both “Deck the Halls” and “See Spot Run” (he’s nothing if not consistent), is back on board for this sequel, while Matthew Fogel is writing the screenplay.

It all sound desperately uninspired and predictable and yet another dreary indication of Hollywood’s lack of imagination, but both of the previous instalments made over $100 million worldwide, so there is an audience for this kind of thing. If the filmmakers behind “Big Momma’s House 3” give that audience exactly what it wants they could have another easy $100 million coming their way. – Phillip Concannon