Back in 1992, Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes (respectively best known at the time for Cheers and Major League) crossed paths for the sports comedy White Men Can’t Jump. The Ron Shelton-feature was both a critical and commercial success, and three decades later, a White Men Can’t Jump remake is being put together. Back in March, it was announced that Jack Harlow will play the Harrelson role in the White Men Can’t Jump remake, and now we’ve received word on who will be filling the Snipes role in the upcoming movie.
Sinqua Walls has been brought aboard the White Men Can’t Jump remake as its co-lead, as shared by Deadline. At this stage, it’s unclear if Walls’ character will also be named Sidney Deane (one of Wesley Snipes’ best performances), just like we’re in the dark on if Jack Harlow’s character will be named Billy Hoyle. While this remake will serve as Harlow’s acting debut, you might recognize Wells from his time on TV shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Teen Wolf, Power and American Soul, or maybe you’ve caught some of his film appearances, including The 15:17 to Paris and the recently-released Resort to Love.
In the original White Men Can’t Jump, Woody Harrelson’s Billy Doyle makes his money hustling streetballers, and Wesley Snipes’ Sidney Deane pitches a partnership for the two of them to make more money together. While the partnership gets off to a rocky start, with Sidney screwing over Billy as revenge for losing two games to him earlier, the men eventually come to an understanding and enter a big two-on-two tournament to try to win the $5,000 grand prize. The 1992 movie also starred Rosie Perez, Tyra Ferrell, Cylk Cozart and Kadeem Hardison, among others, and it was Ron Shelton’s third feature directorial effort, having previously helmed Bull Durham and Blaze.
We’ll have to wait and see how similar the White Men Can’t Jump remake will be to its predecessor, as well as what tweaks it makes to fit into modern times. For now though, at least we know the two faces attached to lead this flick. Following Jack Harlow’s casting, fellow rapper Quavo threw his hat in the ring for the Wesley Snipes role, but the filmmakers opted to go in a different direction with Sinqua Walls. Who knows though, maybe they can find a different character for Quavo to play.
Behind the scenes, the White Men Can’t Jump remake is being helmed by music video director Calmatic, who also tackled the upcoming House Party reboot. Black-ish creator Kenya Barris co-wrote the new White Men Can’t Jump script with Doug Hall, and will also produce through his Khalabo Ink Society production company. The remake is among several movies Sinqua Walls has coming up, with the others including the horror flick Nanny and the drama Mending the Line, which he also executive produced.
It hasn’t been announced yet when the White Men Can’t Jump remake will begin shooting or be released to the public, but we here at CinemaBlend will keep our eyes and ears peeled. In the meantime, you’re welcome to stream the original movie with a Hulu subscription.
