While many had expected the idea of a 21 Jump Street movie to just go away, it seems like it’s actually going to happen, with Deadline reporting that Channing Tatum is now in final negotiations for the lead role in the flick. Making the movie does seem an odd idea, partly because the 80s series is really only remembered for being the launch pad for Johnny Depp, and partly because the whole thing seems to have been initiatied as a bit of a vanity project for Jonah Hill, who’s a fan of the TV version.
However Sony appears to think the script (by Scott Pilgrim co-writer Michael Bacall) is strong enough to start casting for a spring shoot, with Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller booking their first live-action gig. Deadline doesn’t have exact details on Tatum’s role, other than that he’ll be central to the basic 21 Jump Street premise, which sees cops going undercover at a high school. However Hitfix have got a look at the script and say Channing is likely to be Jenko, with Hill as Schmidt, two cops constantly harangued for their youthful looks, who finally get a chance to shine when they’re assigned to work out of 21 Jump Street.
They also suggest the script is ‘absolutely R-rated, unrelentingly dirty, and it’s a comedy from start-to-finish’, so much more in the vein of Superbad than the original TV show.