'Men in Black 3' to Add Sharlto Copley, Alec Baldwin and Gemma Arterton

As Harry Osborn said to Spiderman in 'Spider-man 3:' "You knew this was coming, Peter."

Just when it seemed as if 'Men in Black 3' might simply ignore us if we didn't make any sudden movements, along comes a reminder that the franchise's third installment is unavoidably imminent. The series' first two films are hardly deplorable but the premise behind the franchise is best-suited for a serialized hour-long TV show, a format it will be denied until Will Smith's star power dips somewhere below supernova status. What Barry Sonnenfeld's films do give us is Tommy Lee Jones interacting with ridiculous CG aliens (always worth the price of admission), and a wealth of amazing and eccentric supporting performances from some of Hollywood's best and most criminally under-used talents. And Pajiba is reporting that 'Men in Black 3' is going to continue that awesome tradition, with Sharlto Copley, Alec Baldwin, and Gemma Arterton going where Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, and Tony Shalhoub have gone before.

The part of a "Fast-talking Yoda-type alien" seems like a pretty logical step for Copley, who rose to prominence going "The Full Prawn" in last year's Oscar nominated sci-fi hit 'District 9.' One can only hope that the talented actor doesn't become typecast as "That guy who always plays aliens or people in the midst of becoming aliens" (happened to Brando -- totally sunk his career).

The film supposedly follows Agent Jay Kay and Agent Jay as they travel back to 1969, and it appears as if the other new additions to the cast will explicitly factor into that earlier time period. Gemma Arterton -- riding a banner year which included roles in 'Prince of Persia' and 'Tamara Drewe' -- is in negotiations to play an MiB secretary, and we'll finally get to see how Jack Donaghy handles rambunctious extra-terrestrials when Alec Baldwin channels his '30 Rock' character to play MiB's former chief.

'Men in Black 3' is scheduled for a May 25, 2012 release (in 3-D), and Emma Thompson as Agent Oh remains the movie's most ridiculously incredible casting coup. If the film rolls with a script that's a fraction as strong as its cast, this franchise actually has a serious shot at being relevant again.

This song ... not so much.