There has long been talk of a sequel to Space Jam (1996), in which NBA great Michael Jordan interacted with animated Looney Tunes characters.
It seems that the sequel will finally begin filming in a few months with LeBron James as the live-action lead. In an interview during NBA’s All Star Weekend he had this to say, “I’ve got Space Jam. I’m gonna be in Space Jam 2. We start filming that this summer.” Now Warner Bros. and SpringHill Entertainment have announced that the movie will premiere July 16, 2021.
LeBron James will executive produce as well as star in Space Jam 2, and he may also be producing a Friday the 13th reboot and a House Party remake. Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther, will produce Space Jam 2. Last September Lebron James had this to say to The Hollywood Reporter about Coogler: “The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” and “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 [Coogler] did that for a lot of people.”
Terence Nance will direct and when asked in a chat with Vice if he had plans to shake up traditional conceptions of masculinity with Space Jam 2 he said, “Pretty sure [it’s] going to disrupt everything,” and “I’m excited about what […] that movie can be.”
The original Space Jam movie with Michael Jordan grossed $230 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing basketball movie ever made. While considered part of the franchise, Space Jam 2 will not be a sequel to the original.
Here’s hoping it does as well.
