Basketball star LeBron James has been earning big positive buzz thanks to his performance as himself in the Judd Apatow/Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck, and soon the man's big screen presence will grow. He has just signed a deal that will see him start developing new big projects in coordination with Warner Bros. - but that just leaves us asking one big question: does this mean that we could finally see Space Jam 2?
Word about LeBron James big production deal comes from Variety, which says that the athlete's banner, SpringHill Entertainment, has locked into a deal with Warner Bros. Entertainment that will see the two companies coordinate on TV, film and original digital content projects. The trade report doesn't mention any potential titles that could be in the near future for the partnership, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst started putting the pieces together on his personal Twitter account:
If the idea of LeBron James starring in a proposed Space Jam 2 sounds familiar, it's because Hollywood has seen a rumor about the project circulate before. Back in February 2014, a report arrived online saying that James would essentially be taking the place of Michael Jordan in a sequel featuring the wide array of characters from the Looney Tunes universe. At the time, the basketball player's people denied that the film was in the works, but now there is an opportunity to have a serious discussion about it.
In the original Space Jam, which was released in 1996 and directed by Joe Pytka, the world of the Looney Tunes finds itself under attack when a group of aliens invades and threatens to abduct all of the popular characters for enslavement on their home planet. The only way Bugs Bunny and company can stay free is by beating the aliens in a basketball game - and to increase their chances of winning they enlist the help of basketball legend Michael Jordan. If LeBron James were to take center stage in a Space Jam 2, one has to wonder if it would mean the same aliens from the original coming back for a rematch.
Space Jam continues to have cultural significance, if not only because the generation that watched the film as kids are now in their 20s and 30s and look back on it with a sense of nostalgia. But is a sequel the right thing to do for the movie's legacy? And is LeBron James what the project really needs to move forward? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
