Remember the 1992 comedy White Men Can’t Jump? A remake appears in the works over at Fox with a screenplay to be penned from Black-ish creator Kenya Barris. He will also produce the title alongside sports stars Blake Griffin (from the Los Angeles Clippers) and Ryan Kalil (from the Carolina Panthers, courtesy of their freshly established shingle Mortal Media. The Hollywood Reporter was first on scene with the news.
The original film – written and directed by Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) – hit the zeitgeist with its title alone. The movie starred Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as street basketball hustler who are first out to score one on each other before joining forces to better their odds. The title is a dig at the character portrayed by Harrelson and his inability to dunk. A hit back in the day, White Men Can’t Jump earned $90 million worldwide, and perhaps, may be even more interesting in today’s climate, particularly with Barris’ hand on the script.
The remake appears still in the early stages, so no casting prospects have been aroused as of yet. However, Griffin and Kalil, through their Mortal Media production company, appear ready to go all in with Hollywood – the company is also readying a remake of the 90s hit The Rocketeer, but one concerning a black and female lead. Reportedly,
Barris is also playing a hand at giving Shaft a big-screen makeover as well. His ABC hit comedy Black-ish is currently one of the most acclaimed series on the air, having earned major nominations at last year’s Emmy Awards and recently picked up a Golden Globe for leading actress Tracee Ellis Ross. The show has also been adept at shaping sharply topical events into the frame of a thirty-minute comedy series.
We shall stay tuned to the latest on White Men Can’t Jump.
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