Those wild and crazy Men in Black who made the universe safe for earthlings again are returning, with all the original players coming back.

All together now: “Here come the Men in Black. (clap clap)”

Just a year ago, the sequel to the 1997 sci-fi smash looked murky at best. Stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were thought too pricey to bring back, and rumors that co-star Linda Fiorentino would anchor Men in Black 2 made things muddier.

A new interview with Smith, however, indicates that the original crew is indeed returning to kick some alien butt. “The whole gang is back!” Smith crowed to TV Guide. “Oh, and how they bring Tommy’s character [Agent K] back … I can’t let it out, but it’s so brilliant.”

The happy-go-lucky Smith said he’s ecstatic about the new script, which MIB director Barry Sonnenfeld is currently tweaking. “It’s great when a sequel can have a better script,” Smith said, “because it is so rare that the second film is better than the first one. But this one is ridiculous!”

Just one caveat: MIB2 could be ankled by a possible strike of the Writers Guild of America next May, while a looming actors’ strike July 1 is also putting a dent in many blockbusters’ 2001 production schedule.