White Men Can’t Jump is getting a reboot, and 20th Century Studios has released a first look. The 1992 classic directed by Ron Shelton is set to join the long list of movies with modern remakes, bringing once high-grossing stories to a new generation with twists that fit today’s world.
The film, which will hit Hulu’s screen on May 19, stars rapper Jack Harlow, Sinqua Walls, and Lance Reddick, with rapper Vince Staples also making a special appearance. You can check out the first teaser below:
White Men Can’t Jump reboot is directed by Calmatic, an award-winning music video director, who has clarified what he wants to do with this new version of the story:
“We locked the edit maybe a couple days ago. I feel like we gotta finish the sound mixing, throw some songs in there, get it color correct, and take it through the final stages of post. And then, I’m sure you guys will see something really soon. It’s definitely coming out this year.”
What’s the Original White Men Can’t Jump About?
20th Century Fox
Released in 1992, White Men Can’t Jump follows Sydney Dean (Wesley Snipes) and Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) as two hustlers who use their basketball skills to extort money from unaware street targets. While Sydney is looking to provide for his family and get money to buy a new house and leave his home in a bad neighborhood, Billy is trying to pay a debt he has with a mafia group that is following him and his girlfriend, Gloria Clemente (Rosie Perez).
After some difficulties, Sydney and Billy participate in a basketball tournament where they earn quite a bit of money, but the latter loses it on a bet after his partner states that white men can’t jump to score.
The trailer for the reboot shows a similar dynamic between the two main characters, with Harlow’s character playing it as an unskilled player just to end up showing he’s the real deal. Even some of the scenes shown in the teaser seem similar to the colorful ’90s scenes in the original movie.
This means the fans of the 1992 movie can expect a lot of connections when it comes to character development and production design, even within the story, but maybe not when it comes to the context of the protagonists, which will probably be the most updated section of the film.
