For years, it was a weird rumour, one of those "it might happen, or it could just go away" prospects. Then momentum on a Space Jam sequel began to build when basketball superstar LeBron James' production company did a deal with Warner Bros. It's finally gathering real steam with the addition of Black Panther director Ryan Coogler as an unexpected producer.
The follow-up to the hit 1996 original, which saw NBA legend Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny and some of the latter's Looney Tunes gang looking to win their freedom from alien kidnappers by shooting hoops. It earned around $250 million worldwide and remains the most successful basketball movie of all time, though having both Jordan and Bugs in one film feels like cheating.
LeBron James, no slouch in the winning department himself, has been interested in bringing a new version to screens for a while now, making that deal and agreeing to star. Terence Nance is in the director's chair, after Justin Lin, who was previously attached, bowed out for scheduling reasons. James hit instagram his Springhill company to tease the new collaboration.
"The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie," James tells 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."
Expect a lot of cameos, much like the original, when the film cranks up a predicted 2019 shoot during the off-season. Coogler, meanwhile, also acted as executive producer on Creed II, out on 30 November.
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