Barry Sonnenfeld was on the Sony studio lot in Los Angeles when planes hit the Twin Towers on September 11. In the midst of trying to absorb the scale of the tragedy and check on friends and loved ones — the director grew up in Washington Heights and his daughter was living in Chinatown — he soon realized he had a delicate problem on his hands.
Filming was underway on “Men in Black II,” the sequel to the wildly successful 1997 Will Smith-led mega blockbuster that, in Sonnenfeld’s words, was “really a love letter to New York.” The sequel filmed in the city during the summer of 2001 before continuing production in Los Angeles.
As he stood shocked alongside the rest of the world, Sonnenfeld thought about the ending of his movie. It was set to take place on the roof of one of the towers, where the agents played by Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were to face off against an alien villain and use the top of the tower to send a space princess, revealed to be the character played by Rosario Dawson, back to her home planet. But that was no longer an option.
Video Ad Feedback
9/11 first responder reacts to records showing officials misled the public about the air quality around Ground Zero
