Many fans are eagerly anticipating any new details about the upcoming sequel to Space Jam starring LeBron James, but details are surprisingly scarce for the Looney Tunes‘ return to the court. The first film featured Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny taking on a group of aliens that took the basketball prowess of several superstars from the NBA in the ’90s. And now we know which newer superstars will join LeBron in Space Jam 2.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to The Athletic’s top basketball scooper Shams Charania, Space Jam 2 will include superstars from both the NBA and the WNBA, including Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul and LeBron’s new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis.
WNBA superstars Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury as well as sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike of the Los Angeles Sparks are also said to be part of the new film.
Sources: Space Jam 2, starring LeBron James, is expected to feature key roles for Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson and WNBA stars Diana Taurasi and Nneka Ogwumike. Several more NBA and WNBA players, including Chiney Ogwumike, are expected to play roles in film.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 20, 2019
While Shams made no mention of Paul in his post, his involvement was later confirmed by ESPN.
Space Jam 2 will be directed by Terence Nance with Black Panther‘s own Ryan Coogler serving as Executive Producer. Star Trek Discovery and The Walking Dead star Sonequa Martin-Green will reportedly co-star as LeBron’s wife. The decorated NBA champion praised the team assembled to bring Space Jam back to the big screen.
“The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” LeBron previously told THR. “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.”
Rumors of Thompson’s involvement first surfaced earlier this month, though they might be complicated by his recent ACL tear in the 2019 NBA Finals game against the Toronto Raptors; the injury typically requires players to sit out for up to a full year. Of course, that depends on the amount of activity Nance and Coogler are expecting from Thompson; if it’s a similar situation as the first film, Space Jam 2 might just need appearances from the players with minimal basketball activity.
Filming on Space Jam 2 is expected to begin soon, possibly even this month, though the film won’t hit theaters for another two years.
Space Jam 2 is currently scheduled to premiere on July 16, 2021.
