Basketball fans and Looney Tunes fans got to see the intertwining of the two in the 1996 film, Space Jam. A sequel has been rumored for several years now. It looks like we will be actually seeing it come to pass, with NBA Cleveland Cavalier star, LeBron James, playing the starring role next to Warner Bros. lineup of cartoon characters.
The Hollywood Reporter released news that Justin Lin, executive producer of Fast and Furious 6, and director of the next Star Trek film, will be teaming up with Andrew Dodge() and Alfredo Botello(Hollywood Adventures )to write the script. Lin, through his company, Perfect Storm Entertainment, will also be directing and producing the project, as well, as being involved in the creative development.
LeBron James is to Space Jam 2 as Michael Jordan is to the original Space Jam. LeBron actually tweeted back in August of 2012, "do you love space Jam ?(I love that movie. Wish I could do Space Jam 2!)"
In 2014, when rumors were spreading about the sequel to Space Jam, and that James might be in it, the then Miami Heat player told South Florida Sun Sentinel, "I haven't heard anything about it. Like I said, I've always loved Space Jam. It was one of my favorite movies growing up. If I have the opportunity, it will be great. But that's news to me. Obviously, I don't want to be on there with this thing on my nose. We'll see what happens."
Fans of the first might wonder how LeBron James could match up to Michael Jordan's role. Jordan has been criticized for his "acting" in the first movie, but he was playing himself. It's not an easy feat to act against imaginary cartoon characters. Jordan wasn't really an actor(although, he did his job on Hanes commercials). James has had some "acting" experience recently in the Judd Apatow film, Trainwreck. He acted alongside Amy Schumer. CinemaBlend said about his acting, "Believe it or not, the guy is actually quite a talented comedic actor, and he utilizes those skills to be one of the best parts..."
In an interview with Apatow, "...when the subject of the conversation turned to working with LeBron James, the filmmaker expressed that he himself was shocked by the athlete's gifted comedic abilities, and noted that he more than held his own while working alongside his seasoned co-stars- even when it came to improvisation."
The first movie earned $230.4 million worldwide. It received a score of 36 percent on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, and 63 % on the audience score. My prediction is that the sequel will do well with those who like LeBron James and maybe also with the Looney Tune fans. No plot has been revealed, and the movie is slated to come out in 2017 according to IMDB.
