An announcement revealing a reboot of the film “White Men Can’t Jump” with Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow went left after fans called foul on social media.
“Blade” actor Wesley Snipes starred opposite “Triple 9” actor Woody Harrelson in the original film about a Black basketball hustler who partnered with a white basketball hustler to compete in a tournament.
“The Flight Attendant” actress Rosie Perez also starred in the film, which became a fan favorite and recently reached its 30-year anniversary. After Deadline announced on April 13 that Walls had been cast in the film, folks on Instagram quickly shared their distaste for the prospect of a remake, and the vibe was unwelcoming, to say the least, as fans noted they did not want or ask for a reboot of what they called a classic.
“So many reboots…,” wrote one fan. “Why can’t y’all leave the classics alone?”
“Are we incapable of coming up with anything original?” questioned another fan, which prompted another fan to reply, “Exactly!!!! Say that s—t louder.”
Another fan also questioned the reboot. “Why can’t they just come up with an original screenplay? Why do we need to reboot a classic?!?!?”
“Stop rebooting everything wtf man !!! These writers ain’t got no new ideas. This crazy,” agreed one Instagram user. “We didn’t ask for this,” concluded another fan.
The reboot will include the “Resort to Love” actor in the role played by Snipes, and Harlow will star opposite Walls in the role played by Harrelson.
The script for the 20th Century Fox remake was written by “Black-ish” writer Kenya Barris and Doug Hall, who is also producing the film with executive producers Noah Weinstein, Blake Griffin, Ryan Kalil and E. Brian Dobbins.
Barris is also behind the upcoming Netflix film “You People,” which received some backlash for its similarity to “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”
