Films set in New York, such as "Men in Black II", were affected after the 9/11 attacks. Director Barry Sonnenfeld was at Sony studios in Los Ángeles when the planes hit the Twin Towers. He had personal connections to New York, having grown up in Washington Heights and having a daughter living in Chinatown.

Sonnenfeld was in the middle of filming "Men in Black II" at the time, a sequel to the 1997 blockbuster starring Will Smith. The film was a "love letter to New York" and had been shooting in the city during the summer of 2001 before production moved to Los Ángeles.

Further details about the impact of 9/11 on the film's production are available from the source.