Before Save The Last Dance made us all want to quit our jobs and take to the basketball courts with the kind of single-minded obsession of Michael Jordan or bravado and sass as Dennis Rodman, there was 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump. With its slam dunks and perfectly-timed comedy, the film was an instant hit with fans and critics alike. With Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as the lead actors in the film, it’s hard to imagine it becoming anything but a classic in the canon of film history. But for those perhaps too young for the original, or who simply haven’t seen it yet amidst the barrage of online streaming content flooding our systems daily, there’s now a reboot set to arrive to our screens.
20th Century Studios has now released a first look at the upcoming reboot of Shelton’s beloved film. Set to arrive on Hulu on May 19, the film will star Sinqua Walls and Lance Reddick, along with rapper Vince Staples, and also marks Jack Harlow’s acting debut. Directed by Calmatic, an award-winning music video director, he described wanting to do a new version of the story.
“We locked the edit maybe a couple of days ago. I feel like we gotta finish the sound mixing, throw some songs in there, get it colour 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,” he expressed in an earlier interview.
The original film follows Sydney Dean (Snipes) and Billy Hoyle (Harrelson), two hustlers who use their basketball skills to extort money from unsuspecting street targets. For Sydney, his skills serve as a way to make money to provide for his family and potentially save to buy a new house so he can leave his home that’s situated in a rough neighbourhood. Billy, meanwhile, is trying to pay a debt he has with a mafia group that’s following him and his girlfriend, Gloria Clemente.
The pair later participate in a basketball tournament where they earn a large sum of money, only for Billy to lose it on a bet after his partner states that white men can’t jump to score. Though the sports film has long seen audiences gravitate to the cinemas, it’s also one that’s hard to pull off without relying on old tropes or cliched endings. White Men Can’t Jump presented something original and perhaps that’s why it has had such incredible staying power in our collective consciousness.
For fans of the movie, the reboot looks to make a number of connections with the original when it comes to character development and plot lines, however there’s sure to be a fresh take on it, too. As the trailer seems to depict, there’s a similar dynamic between the main characters, with Harlow presenting as an unskilled player only to fool those on the court as he showcases impressive moves. Whatever the case, our desire for nostalgia certainly makes this a film worth seeing.
