After 23 years, a sequel to Space Jam is finally hitting theaters. Warner Bros. has officially announced July 16th, 2021 as the date bugs and the gang will be back for another round of basketball fury. This time, Michael Jordan is out and LeBron James is in.
LeBron has been rumored to take up the mantle ever since his company SpringHill Entertainment, signed a deal with Warner Bros. in 2015. Not much headway was made since the signing, but things are now being fast-tracked.
Although Justin Lin was in talks to direct the film, he will now only serve as executive producer (along with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler). Terence Nance, the creator of the HBO show Random Acts of Flyness, is set to step into the director’s chair. Nance isn’t a household name but does have a few notable credits such as An Oversimplification of Her Beautify and Univitellin.
LeBron played himself in the 2015 Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck but this would be his first starring role. After leaving Cleveland for Los Angeles, it’s no surprise King James has caught the acting bug. The future legend definitely has the screen presence and charisma to carry a movie. Whether or not he’ll be the next Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, still remains to be seen.
The first Space Jam was a hit, grossing $230 million worldwide. The cast in the ’90s included superstars Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing alongside Jordan. It’s a safe bet we’ll see some of today’s biggest and brightest ballers cast along Lebron and rest of the Loony Tunes.
Warner Bros. has two years to make it right and deliver a worthy successor to the original. The track record of sequels way past their effectiveness has been dire as of late. From Independence Day to Bladerunner, fans have not been thrilled with sequels that have been coming decades too late. With Lebron center stage, and Lin producing, perhaps we finally have a winning formula. If fans are truly lucky, we’ll even get a cameo from Michael Jordan himself.
