Barry Sonnenfeld has confirmed to Roger Friedman that Will Smith and, after months of speculation, Tommy Lee Jones will star in Men In Black III.

Smith has been on board Sony’s threequel for some time, but Jones’ involvement was less clear, with Josh Brolin mooted as a replacement, while the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen had also been in the casting frame. However, Jones has been concentrating on smaller dramas, like In The Electric Mist and The Company Men, for some time, so the chance to exercise those blockbuster muscles (and pay for a new conservatory) was probably too good to pass up.

At the moment, little is known about the plot of the movie, which Sony will be aiming to get into cinemas by Memorial Day 2011 (that’s May 30, 2011 to the rest of us), but we imagine it’ll involve Agent Jay (Smith) and Kay (Jones) getting in way over their heads with some angry alien beasties. But Sonnenfeld did drop one more bombshell – MIB III will, like every single film in this or any other post-Avatar universe, will be in glorious 3D.

Actually, 3D should suit Sonnenfeld’s manic camerawork pretty well and, with the Smith/Jones deadpan dream team reunited, we’re now quietly optimistic about this one. Especially if they bring back Rip Torn – in full drunken bank-robbing mode – as Chief Zed.