If you grew up in the 90s, you’d probably be lying if you said that the movie Space Jam wasn’t an iconic part of your childhood.
The 1996 cult classic starred NBA superstar, Michael Jordan, and the loveable cartoon cast of the Looney Tunes. Still the highest grossing basketball film ever released, Space Jam is coming back 20 years later—with a new face.
Following several years of rumors and speculations, LeBron James’ company, SpringHill Entertainment is believed to have signed a deal with Warner Bros on the project.
The film will be produced by Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler, and directed by Terence Nance.
“The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie.
“It’s so much bigger. I’d just love for kids to understand how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don’t just give up on their dreams. And I think Ryan did that for a lot of people.” James emphasized his appreciation for Coogler’s work.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, James and his business manager, Maverick Carter, stressed that the new movie will not be a sequel to Space Jam. Instead, they called it a “reboot” and even spoke about the new movie generating its own sequels.
Like its predecessor, the new movie is expected to include several NBA players as cameos, and Carter even discussed the idea of Jordan appearing.
“Hopefully there will be a role for Michael if he wants it. But Michael Jordan is Michael [expletive] Jordan.
“LeBron and Michael are not sitting around talking about Space Jam,” he quipped.
SpringHill Entertainment also shared a picture on social media, revealing an image of a locker room. The image shows L. James, 23 as a “small forward” and B. Bunny (Bugs Bunny), 1 as a “point guard”—both are basketball positions.
Feeling excited? Sadly, the rumored release dater Space Jam 2 is 2021, but when the Laker’s season is over, expect to see James trying to fill Michael Jordan’s basketball sneakers (rather him than us).
For now, take comfort in the knowledge that Space Jam is back, and maybe use it as an excuse to revisit the old classic.