Come on and slam, and welcome to the jam. LeBron James has his starting lineup for the Space Jam sequel, with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler serving as producer and Terence Nance (Random Acts of Flyness) coming on board to direct. Oh right, here’s a reminder that Space Jam is getting a sequel.
James’ SpringHill Entertainment revealed the new director and producer on Twitter. The film, which will star James himself, is a sequel to the 1996 Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes team-up that took place during the height of Jordan’s popularity.
James told The Hollywood Reporter that he chose Coogler as a producer because he “loved his vision” for Black Panther and wanted to bring that to a children’s movie. He also elaborated that this is more than just a cartoon team-up.
“The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” James said. “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.”
James’ Space Jam 2 has been rumoured since at least 2012. Originally treated as a joke, it’s moved around in development over the years, with Fast and the Furious director Justin Lin previously rumoured as a director.
But now it’s actually happening — even though the original film’s director said no NBA players were famous enough to fill Jordan’s shoes. Looks like James might prove him wrong.
James added that the sequel is tentatively set to go into production in 2019 during the NBA off-season. No expected release date has been announced.