Travis Bickle will not be singing the praises of Uber any time soon.

Online cinephiles did a collective double take this week as rumors began to circulate that Robert De Niro would be reprising his role from “Taxi Driver” in an upcoming Uber commercial that would air in the United Kingdom. Many were quick to point out that the character — who loses his sanity after his job as a taxi driver exposes him to the worst of humanity and is eventually radicalized to commit acts of violence due to his firsthand look at child prostitution — is not exactly a compelling spokesperson for the ride sharing industry.

It appeared to be a strange career move for De Niro — who has long been open about his interest in making a “Taxi Driver” sequel — and caught the attention of the film’s screenwriter, Paul Schrader.

“Ouch,” Schrader wrote after sharing a link to...