In addition to The Rocketeer, Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin and production partner Ryan Kalil of the Carolina Panthers are working on a reboot of the 1992 sports classic White Men Can’t Jump. The athletes turned producers are teaming up with Kenya Barris, the creator of ABC’s acclaimed comedy Black-ish.
Barris will write the script for the project as part of his overall film deal with 20th Century Fox, and he will also act as a producer. Griffin and Kalil are producing the film via their Mortal Media banner, along with their partner Noah Weinstein, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The original sports comedy White Men Can’t Jump, was written and directed by Ron Shelton. The film starred Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as two street basketball hustlers who at first try to hustle each other. They eventually team up to hustle others under the guise that Harrelson is a white guy who most assume can’t play well.
Most people feel the classic film shouldn’t be touched, but Barris tells TMZ Sports the movie is more paying homage than it is a remake. Barris notes that white guys CAN jump now and are dunk champions so that will be a factor in the film. He also says there’s a “high” chance Griffin will appear in the movie, though it’s unclear how big of a part. Though Barris didn’t feel the need to get Harrelson and Snipes’s blessing for the reboot, he does want them to make an appearance in the film.
