Kevin Martel, one of the animators behind the upcoming Warner Bros. film Space Jam: A New Legacy, posted to social media today to indicate that his portion of production has wrapped on the movie, which will see LeBron James team up with an animated basketball team made up of Looney Tunes characters in a sequel to the 1996 Michael Jordan movie. This time around, the movie is taking a broader approach to incorporating pop culture into the film, with a massive crowd scene in the trailer that reminded fans of Ready Player One.
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In this new Space Jam, LeBron James takes over as the star of the film, a role that was filled by Michael Jordan the first time around. Another big change in this sequel is the villain. Avengers: Endgame star Don Cheadle takes on the role of the antagonist, playing a character called Al G Rhythm.
It’s hard to know how close production is to being fully wrapped, since animators are going to be providing the “performances” for several key characters in the film, Martel finishing up his involvement is as significant as any given performer appearing in front of the camera.
You can see the tweet in question below.
…and that’s a wrap! Thanks to all the Space-Jamimators who took the journey with me. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/lwDS2iF7TZ
— Kevin Martel (@Ksmarts) May 8, 2021
“What was pitched to me, what they wanted to do with my character, what was going to happen with LeBron, the conceit of the film and the opportunity to take a classic title like that and do another spin on it with the latest GOAT, being LeBron, I just thought, ‘Hey, this is cool,’” Cheadle said, back when the trailer was released. “To get to play this really innovative character, which I don’t even know how much I can talk about, or what you know. But I just thought it was going to be a cool family story with LeBron and a cool character to play opposite him.”
In addition James and Cheadle, Space Jam: A New Legacy stars Sonequa Martin-Green and Dom James. Warner Bros. has yet to confirm which professional basketball players will be involved in A New Legacy, but rumors and reports have suggested that NBA and WNBA stars in the film include Damian Lillard, Draymond Green, Chris Paul, Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka Ogwumike, Diana Taurasi, Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis.
Space Jam: A New Legacy is directed by Malcolm D. Lee, with a script from Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Keenan Coogler, and Terence Nance.
Are you excited for the arrival of Space Jam: A New Legacy this summer? Let us know in the comments!
Space Jam: A New Legacy will be released on HBO Max and in theaters on July 16th.
Updated May 12, 2021, 12:40 a.m. ET to indicate that Martel was only suggesting he was wrapped, not that production is fully wrapped.
