{"id":4901,"date":"2026-06-06T14:23:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T14:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/james-handys-last-movie-project-scrapped-in-wake-of-death\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T14:23:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T14:23:23","slug":"james-handys-last-movie-project-scrapped-in-wake-of-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/james-handys-last-movie-project-scrapped-in-wake-of-death\/","title":{"rendered":"James Handy&#8217;s last movie project scrapped in wake of death"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F06%2F129965082.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>James Handy\u2019s last movie project has been axed after <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/04\/celebrity-news\/high-top-gun-maverick-jumanji-actor-james-handy-dead-at-81-killed-by-girlfriends-son\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">his tragic death on Wednesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Writer Heidi Anderson-Swan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/06\/06\/james-handys-final-film-scrubbed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told TMZ on Saturday<\/a> that her final film with Handy, \u201cKickback, V,\u201d was halted in pre-production due to several issues, including funding.<\/p>\n<p>The comedy was set to follow a group of nerds learning martial arts and the relationship that forms between the students and their karate sensei.  <\/p>\n<p>Anderson-Swan gushed over Handy, recalling how sweet he was. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Heidi Anderson-Swan (pictured here) revealed that James Handy\u2019s final film, \u201cKickback, V,\u201d which she wrote and was producing, won\u2019t go forward.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>The movie, starring Handy (pictured here in 1986) and following nerds learning martial arts was halted in pre-production due to issues like financing, per TMZ. <span class=\"credit\">20th Century Fox Licensing\/Merch<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The producer said the \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d actor supported her when she first stepped onto the scene.<\/p>\n<p>Anderson-Swan added to the outlet that she is shocked over Handy\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cJumanji\u201d star was stabbed to death by his girlfriend\u2019s son, Michael Gledhill.<\/p>\n<p>Handy was found bleeding and unconscious in the front yard of his girlfriend\u2019s home in Tarzana, California, Wednesday morning, per a police report.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>The filmmaker added that the late star (pictured here in an episode of \u201cCastle\u201d) supported her when she first broke into Hollywood. <span class=\"credit\">ABC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Anderson-Swan noted that she is in shock over Handy\u2019s death.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Authorities said the actor had been stabbed in the chest repeatedly and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.<\/p>\n<p>According to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/05\/celebrity-news\/top-gun-maverick-actor-james-handys-murderer-called-911-with-chilling-confession\/\">911 call audio<\/a>, Gledhill told the dispatch worker, \u201cI am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Police allege that Gledhill flagged down the cops who arrived on scene and confessed to the stabbing. He was also spotted walking away from the crime scene after the slaying.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/05\/celebrity-news\/actor-james-handys-girlfriends-son-charged-with-murder-faces-26-years-to-life-in-prison\/\">Gledhill, 44, was charged with one count of murder<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not how anyone\u2019s life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home,\u201d Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a press release.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Handy (pictured here in \u201cJumanji\u201d in 1995) was stabbed to death by his girlfriend\u2019s son, Michael Gledhill. <span class=\"credit\">Sony Pictures<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>The actor (pictured here in 1990 alongside Jeff Daniels, Brian McNamara and Julian Sands) was found bleeding out, from several stab wounds to the chest, in his girlfriend\u2019s front yard. <span class=\"credit\">Alamy Stock Photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe victim, James Handy, deserved to live out his later years enjoying what he had worked so hard for and enjoying it with those he loved and cared about. Like all murder victims, his life mattered and the person who inexplicably and violently took it must be held accountable for his actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, Handy\u2019s former girlfriend Wendy Gledhill told <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/05\/us-news\/james-handys-girlfriend-breaks-silence-after-her-son-allegedly-killed-top-gun-maverick-actor\/\">The California Post<\/a> that she \u201ccan\u2019t believe\u201d her son allegedly stabbed Handy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just trying to make it through one day at a time, a minute at a time,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Handy (pictured here in 1986 with Matthew Laurance and Ed O\u2019Neill) was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. <span class=\"credit\">20th Century Fox\/Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Gledhill (seen here walking away from the crime scene on Wednesday) has been charged with one count of murder. <span class=\"credit\">Fox11<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That same day, Wendy, 76, told TMZ Michael had serious mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Wendy said she learned that Michael had stopped taking his meds just a week before Handy\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n<p>A neighbor also told The California Post that Michael could act bizarre and paranoid at times.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Handy\u2019s girlfriend Wendy Gledhill (pictured here) told The California Post that she can\u2019t believe her son allegedly stabbed her partner. <span class=\"credit\">David Buchan for CA Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Michael is facing up to 26 years in prison for the murder of Handy (pictured here in 1991). <span class=\"credit\">ABC via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHe looked really rugged \u2026 he looks like he doesn\u2019t really change his clothes,\u201d Joheina Quibol shared.<\/p>\n<p>Michael is currently being held at the Van Nuys Jail. His bail is set at $2 million.<\/p>\n<p>Gledhill is facing up to 26 years to life in state prison.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/06\/entertainment\/james-handys-last-movie-project-scrapped-in-wake-of-death\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James Handy\u2019s last movie project has been axed after his tragic death on Wednesday. Writer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/129965082.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}