LeBron “Hollywood” James is in full effect.
SpringHill Entertainment, which was founded by James and Maverick Carter, officially announced a new “Space Jam” movie will be happening and feature the Los Angeles Lakers’ star player. The film will be produced by Ryan Coogler, who is best known for his work on “Black Panther,” “Creed” and “Fruitvale Station.”
“The ‘Space Jam’ collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” James told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Carter and James both stressed their movie is not a sequel to the 1996 movie “Space Jam.” While several NBA players are expected to make cameos in the new “Space Jam” movie, it is unclear if the star of 1996’s film — Michael Jordan — will appear in this new edition.
Like the original, the new movie is sure to be well stocked with cameos from NBA players. But Jordan? “We’ll see,” says Carter, “Hopefully there will be a role for Michael if he wants it. But Michael Jordan is Michael [expletive] Jordan. It doesn’t matter [if James] calls him, he’s gonna do whatever the hell he wants, which he has earned that right to do.” And then he adds: “LeBron and Michael are not sitting around talking about Space Jam.”
Carter and James stress that their version will not be a sequel, though it could certainly be the beginning of a new franchise. “There’s already been one that was good, we gotta make a film that’s great,” says Carter.
For James, Space Jam is the realization of a childhood dream. “I always wanted to be a superhero. Batman was my favorite,” he says. “But I knew I could never be Bruce Wayne. You’ve got to understand, for me that was in no way possible; I never felt like I could be the president of a multibillion-dollar company.”
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports via Twitter that Jordan’s involvement in the film is at best, unclear, right now.
Space Jam 2, while a part of the Space Jam franchise, is not considered a sequel, a source familiar with the production told ESPN. However, there have been discussions in involving Michael Jordan in some way. At this point, Jordan’s level of involvement is to be determined.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 19, 2018
Terence Nance is on board to be the director, per SpringHill Entertainment.
