'White Men Can't Jump' isn't just a remake, it's a remix

The movie stars Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow in his feature film debut, alongside Sinqua Walls.
Friday, May 19, 2023
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A remake of the 1992 classic 'White Men Can't Jump' premiered Friday on Hulu.

Thirty-one years later, the new film follows the storyline of the original: two basketball players who team up to earn extra money.
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It's a story that breaks stereotypes, and the cast says this message resonates even louder now.

It stars Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow in his feature film debut, alongside Sinqua Walls. Both men brushed up on their basketball for this reboot.

"I think '92 told us a story and it was culturally relevant," Walls says. "And this one tells a story and it's culturally relevant. It's the idea that a white guy can't jump like a Black guy."

Walls is stepping into the sneakers made famous by Wesley Snipes in the 1992 classic.



"I was a fan of the original," Walls says. "I watched the original several times and I rewatched it again when I first got this new script to see where it was similar and to see where it was different."

The on-screen bond Walls formed with rapper and co-star Harlow is a real-life brotherhood.
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"People see that we naturally rock with each other," Walls says. "I've had friends ask if we really do get along. I say, 'That's my dog!' That just kind of translated on screen."

Harlow called his film debut "stimulating."

Director Calmatic says this remake of 'White Men Can't Jump' is more like a remix.

"To me, it's like a sample, right? We sampled the original film," Calmatic says. "We took a couple of familiar elements, chopped it up, added a whole new baseline and added a whole new drum pattern."



"What we wanted to do was pay homage," says Teyana Taylor, who plays Imani. "But, you know, we made it our own. We created our own size rather than trying to fill in someone else's shoes."

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