I don’t know about you, but I can’t play basketball worth a damn. I used to love playing H-O-R-S-E on the school courts, or firing up my Nintendo Entertainment System for a few rounds of Double Dribble. However, that’s about where my career ended in regard to shooting hoops.
Today, it’s been announced that Black-ish creator Kenya Barris is developing a remake of the 1992 sports comedy which starred Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as an unlikely pair of street B-bal hustlers. Barris, who is also in line to produce the film, will team with pro-athlete-turned-producers Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and Ryan Kalil of the California Panthers to develop the film for 20th Century Fox. It’s also to note that both Griffin and Kalil will be aided by Noah Weinstein, while working under their Mortal Media label.
I’ll be honest, I’m not certain that the world needs a rebooted version of WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP, but who am I to judge? With remakes being announced at what feels like a break-neck pace, these days, why not add this all-but-forgotten gem to the mix? Also, who’s to say that this new version of Ron Shelton’s original inner-city sports drama doesn’t have something to offer? From what I’ve gathered, Black-ish has been a major success – having earned a slew of Emmys, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for its comedic efforts among other things. It would be cool if this movie came along and had something positive to say about diversity, and the potential of great things coming to pass when people work together – even if it’s for a con job.
Currently, Kenya Barris is in the process of developing a more comedic SHAFT remake for New Line Cinema. The details of this project are scarce at the moment, but you can bet that we’ll be reporting on it once there’s something concrete in the mix.
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