We're calling it: Hollywood is officially out of fresh ideas.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that 21 Jump Street will be getting a female version, with Broad City's Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs tapped to write the script. As pleasing as it is to see a blockbuster with a female-led cast getting a green light, it all feels pretty uninspiring. Been there, done that.
Perhaps that's because the original 21 Jump Street — the TV show, not the Channing Tatum/Jonah Hill reboot — had female officers. The film version chose to instead focus on two bros, so why change course now? It's not about making a statement about female empowerment. As with Paul Feig's all-female Ghostbusters reboot, it's all about squeezing out a few more drops of milk from a Hollywood cash cow.
Case in point: The 21 Jump Street announcement was accompanied by the news that Sony plans to make good on its long-rumored Men in Black crossover starring Tatum and Hill. There have already been three MiB films; is a fourth really necessary? And, how soon before it becomes Women in Black?
We're all for female-driven stories, but Hollywood seems to be missing the fact that the reason why content like Broad City, Girls, and Bridesmaids is so popular is because it feels fresh and original. It's not a regurgitation of the same old storylines. Sure, people will pay to see, say, Emma Stone and Rebel Wilson pose as high-schoolers and make training bra jokes, but it's hardly going to rock anyone's world.
Save the sequels and reboots. Just give us something we haven't seen before.