UPDATE (2/22):
LeBron James has denied rumors of his involvement in a sequel to Space Jam. Speaking with the South Florida Sun Sentinel, he said:
It’s news to me. 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.
It sounds like someone over at Deadline jumped the gun.
INITIAL UPDATE (2/21):
Respected ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst recently tweeted the following:
Well it was fun while it lasted. LeBron sources refute Deadline report, there’s no Space Jam 2 or Warner Bros. project in works
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) February 22, 2014
Looks like the world will have to survive without a LeBron James-starring Space Jam 2, at least for the foreseeable future.
ORIGINAL STORY (2/21)
I’m sorry, but this is not an early April Fool’s joke, though some of us here at We Got This Covered wish it was. This is, in fact, very real. You read the headline correctly. LeBron James will be starring in Space Jam 2, a sequel to the cult 1996 animated family comedy which starred basketball champion Michael Jordan. Deadline first reported the news, and they are also saying that broadcasting veteran Dick Ebersol’s sons, Charlie and Willie Ebersol, are the main players behind development of the sequel. No director is attached just yet, but the search is currently underway.
The original Space Jam, which starred Michael Jordan (not to be confused with Fruitvale Station‘s Michael B. Jordan), made $230 million at the box office back when it released in 1996. With that in mind, it’s actually surprising that Warner Bros. hadn’t pushed a sequel into development sooner. However, the film’s bizarre premise – Jordan is befriended by Looney Tunes who help him release that basketball is his passion – doesn’t exactly lend itself to a follow-up. We’re thinking that Space Jam 2 will be more of a reboot than a straight sequel.
Of course, with James involved, you can bet that other NBA All-Stars will show up as well. However, for right now we can only confirm The King’s involvement. As always though, we’ll let you know when we hear more.
Tell us, are you cringing or jumping for joy at the news of a Space Jam 2?
