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White Men Can’t Jump is getting back into the game.
Kenya Barris, the creator of ABC’s acclaimed comedy Black-ish, is teaming up with Los Angeles Clippers player Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers to develop a remake of the 1992 sports comedy for Twentieth Century Fox.
Barris will write the script for the project, which falls under his overall film deal with Fox that he signed in September 2016. Barris will also act as a producer.
Griffin and Kalil are producing via their production banner, Mortal Media, along with their partner Noah Weinstein.
White Men, written and directed by Ron Shelton, starred Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as two street basketball hustlers who at first try to hustle each other then team up for a bigger score. Also figuring into the equation was Harrelson’s character’s longtime girlfriend, played by Rosie Perez, whose dream is to appear on Jeopardy!.
The title comes into play when Snipes’ character makes fun of Harrelson for his inability to make dunk shots. (Griffin knows a thing or two about dunking, having won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2011.)
Griffin and Kalil’s Mortal Media is a relatively new venture but is busy building an active slate with high-profile titles. Among the projects the company is developing is a remake of The Rocketeer, this one centered around a lead that will be black and female. The company also has an NBC comedy in development.
Barris’ Black-ish is currently one of TV’s most acclaimed comedies, receiving recent Emmy and Golden Globe nominations; star Tracee Ellis Ross just won a Golden Globe for her work on the show. On the film side, Barris is developing a remake of Shaft for New Line.
Barris is repped by CAA, Principato Young, and Morris Yorn. Griffin and Kalil are repped by CAA and Ziffren Brittenham.
