Making a film out of the ridiculous 80's show
21 Jump Street sounds positively insane on paper but I find nobody funnier in this world than
Jonah Hill right now and if he thinks there's something in the 'cops going undercover as high schoolers' concept that can bring with it plenty of chuckles, then I'm there.
Deadline are reporting that Hill will soon be joined by
Channing Tatum as the second of the two-lead movie. The G.I. Joe actor is nearing talks with Sony for the Spring starter. Scott Pilgrim co-writer
Michael Bacall has contemporised the late 80's Fox show that helped launch Johnny Depp into the mainstream, and which Jonah Hill has been pushing to get made for the last few years. Recently, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs directing duo
Phil Lord and
Chris Miller were assigned to direct and after trying a bunch of actors with Hill, Tatum seemed to be the best fit. Hill would play Schmidt (left, below), Tatum would be Jenko (right, below) and I suppose both actors MIGHT just about be able to get away with disguising themselves as high-schoolers.
Maybe.
Emma Stone, Hill's love interest in Superbad and the future Gwen Stacy is also being linked with the film.
Drew at Hitfix has read the script that he calls;
...absolutely R-rated, unrelentingly dirty, and it's a comedy from start-to-finish. In the film, they're assigned to one of the richest high schools in Los Angeles to track down the source of a new designer drug called "Holy F**king S**t." They go undercover as "The McQuaid Brothers," violent psychopaths who have been kicked out of six schools for various crimes.
Or as Jonah Hill previously described it;
Ive been saying that its like a John Hughes movie with Bad Boys style action.
Which I'm guessing means it will carry much of the same tone as
Pineapple Express and
Superbad. A March 16, 2012 release date is set.