Fans have been waiting 20 years for a sequel to Space Jam and now it’s finally almost here. Space Jam: A New Legacy sees LeBron James stepping into Michael Jordan’s shoes as the next basketball player to team up with the Looney Tunes gang, with the follow-up due out next summer. While various bits and pieces have leaked online over the last few months giving us a glimpse at the pic, not much in the way of official material has been shared by Warner Bros. Until now, that is.
As part of WarnerMedia’s virtual panel at CCXP, our first look at Bugs Bunny’s design for the sequel has been revealed, as the iconic wisecracking rabbit hosted a brief tour of the WB lot while hyping up Space Jam 2. Apart from that, nothing else was unveiled about the film, but hey, it’s something. And as you can see from the image below, they haven’t gone for a wild redesign of Bugs in the production and he’ll still be the traditional 2D character you know and love.
SPACE JAM: UM NOVO LEGADO CHEGA EM 2021! Até o Pernalonga está ansioso para o lançamento! Assista com a gente no #OmeleteStage esse MEGA painel em https://t.co/Fdh5GdGcPP pic.twitter.com/CX68qcX65s
— omelete (@omelete) December 6, 2020
Judging by the video linked in the Tweet, the design in the original Space Jam, released in 1996, actually gave him additional depth and tone. However, it’s possible that this will be more evident in the film itself. This is just a tie-in promo, after all. But either way, fans will be pleased that they don’t have to put up with a controversial CG Bugs for the sequel.
Of course, the appeal of Space Jam lied in its mash-up of sports stars and cartoon characters, but the new film looks to be massively expanding the crossover potential of the franchise. Judging by leaked images, all kinds of familiar faces from Warner Bros.’ back catalog will be showing up for cameos in Space Jam 2, many of which will totally blow the internet’s mind once it arrives at last next July. Assuming that date sticks, that is, which is uncertain given all the upheaval in the movie industry right now.
