A proposed reboot of “Police Academy” starring comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele was reportedly shelved in the mid-2010s after the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, according to writer Ike Barinholtz. Barinholtz said the project was not dropped due to creative disagreements, but because the real-world incident and the resulting national debate about police use of force made a lighthearted police comedy difficult to pursue. Barinholtz discussed the matter on his podcast, “Funny You Ask with Ike Barinholtz,” in an episode released June 17, where he told guest Joel McHale about an awkward pitch meeting tied to the reboot. Multiple outlets report that Barinholtz described the cancellation as quiet and behind the scenes, occurring after the Ferguson shooting drew widespread attention. The accounts also characterize the change as driven by sensitivity to the timing and context rather than by changes to the creative direction of the film idea. Key and Peele were attached to the reboot plan, but the project ultimately did not move forward.