LEBRON JAMES will team up with film maker RYAN COOGLER, who directed "BLACK PANTHER," on the "long-anticipated follow-up to the MICHAEL JORDAN-Bugs Bunny hit 'SPACE JAM,'" according to Marisa Guthrie of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Coogler will "produce the new Space Jam movie and TERENCE NANCE, who created HBO’s 'RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS,'" will direct. Production on the Warner Bros. film is "tentatively slated" for '19, "during the NBA off-season." It will be James’ "first starring role." Getting Coogler is a "coup," as he is "among the industry’s most sought-after artists." It is "safe to assume the new iteration will include a plethora of basketball’s biggest stars, especially given James’ stature in the league." It is "unclear at this point ... if Jordan will be among those featured" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 9/19). ESPN.com's Youngmisuk & McMenamin cited a source as saying that James was "personally involved in recruiting Coogler." James and SpringHill Entertainment CEO MAVERICK CARTER have "been in talks to make a 'Space Jam' film for more than five years." A source said that the new film "will not be considered a sequel" to the original. But while the "premise of the latest installment of 'Space Jam' being discussed is not rooted in the original story, there have been discussions of involving Jordan" (ESPN.com, 9/19). VARIETY's Dave McNary noted Coogler and James are both "repped by WME" (VARIETY.com, 9/19).
RUN IT BACK: In DC, Elahe Izadi notes the '96 movie featuring Jordan, "inspired by a Nike ad campaign, was part animation, part live action and a gigantic commercial success; it ranks as the highest-grossing basketball movie of all time." While the critics were "mostly negative in their reviews of the film," "Space Jam" earned $230M worldwide, and "associated merchandising" generated an additional $1B in retail sales (WASHINGTON POST, 9/20). THE RINGER's Miles Surrey wrote having another iteration of "Space Jam" with a "new crop of NBA stars joining LeBron -- please cast DRAYMOND GREEN and let him shit-talk the Monstars -- means a new generation of kids can check out a Looney Tunes-NBA mashup with stars that they grew up watching." There will also likely be a "bunch of 20- and 30-somethings who wish it were still 1996 who are going to be pumped too" (THERINGER.com, 9/19).
TWITTER REAX: ESPN's Chris Spatola: "We’re not ready for the MJ vs Lebron GOAT actor debates." TNT's Rosalyn Gold-Onwude: "I’m going to audition for Lola Bunny." SI's Charlotte Wilder: "Sure it’s cool LeBron is gonna be in Space Jam 2 but is Bill Murray coming back or what." Craig Sager II: "If it doesn’t include Jordan, it’s not a Space Jam 2." Stadium's Abby Hornacek: "I’m sorry, but Space Jam cannot be remade." Comic book writer Magdalene Visaggio: "Do people not realize how bad space jam was? ... It's unwatchable. it's not even like, so bad it's good. it's a terrible movie."
