Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan proved himself to be not only one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but also one of the greatest athletes of any sport, as he regularly put his prowess on display during the NBA season. Jordan proved to be such an icon that he managed to transition to the big screen with Space Jam, where he starred alongside the Looney Tunes in an intergalactic basketball game. Current NBA star LeBron James is often considered to be as skilled, if not even more so, than Jordan, with the athlete following in the icon’s footsteps with Space Jam 2, which is reportedly now filming.
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“Man this really just hit me!” James tweeted. “I’m really shooting Space Jam 2!! This is so surreal and doesn’t even make sense to me! Where I come from man and what I saw growing up this doesn’t add up to me! I’m truly grateful and beyond blessed. This is CRAZINESS.”
The project has been rumored for quite some time, with those reports gaining steam in recent months that the project would actually move forward. Keeping in tradition with the original film, James will be joined by a number of other basketball stars.
Earlier this month, a report claimed Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul, and James’ new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis would appear in the film. Additionally, WNBA superstars Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury and sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike of the Los Angeles Sparks are rumored to be joining the project.
“The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” James previously told 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.”
One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to help the film move forward came when Ryan Coogler, who directed Black Panther, was revealed to be rewriting the script, in addition to serving as a producer.
“I always wanted to be a superhero. Batman was my favorite. But I knew I could never be Bruce Wayne. You’ve got to understand, for me that was in no way possible; I never felt like I could be the president of a multibillion-dollar company,” James shared previously of Coogler’s involvement. “[Coogler] gave this generation’s kids something I didn’t have when I was a kid, and that’s a superhero movie with an African-American cast.”
Space Jam 2 is slated to debut on July 16, 2021.
Are you glad that the project is moving forward? Let us know in the comments below!
