Space Jam A New Legacy is a 2021 sports comedy film starring LeBron James and the Looney Tunes characters. It is a standalone sequel to the original Space Jam, which was released in 1996.
The film was directed by Night School director Malcolm D. Lee and was released to theaters in the United States 16 July 2021 and digitally on HBO Max for a month on that same date.[1][2]
Plot
When basketball champion and global icon LeBron James and his young son Dom, who dreams of being a video game developer, are trapped in a digital space by a rogue artificial intelligence, James must get them home safe by leading Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the AI's digitized champions on the court.[3]
Availability
Streaming
Characters
Live-Action Actors
- LeBron James as himself
- Alex Huerta as Young LeBron James
- Don Cheadle as AI-G Rhythm
- Khris Davis [4]
- Sonequa Martin-Green as Kamiyah James, LeBron's wife
- Cedric Joe as Dom James, LeBron's youngest son [5]
- Ceyair J. Wright as Darius James, LeBron's eldest son [6]
- Harper Leigh Alexander as Xosha James, LeBron's daughter [7]
Cameo Appearances
- Klay Thompson
- Anthony Davis
- Damian Lillard
- Peter Cornell
- Chris Paul
- Kyle Kuzma
- Diana Taurasi
- Nneka & Chiney Ogwumike
- Nicole Kornet
- Mike Myers
Voice Actors
- Jeff Bergman as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Yosemite Sam[8][9]
- Eric Bauza as Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and Marvin the Martian[10]
- Bob Bergen as Tweety[11]
- Jim Cummings (uncredited) and Fred Tatasciore as Tasmanian Devil
- Anthony Davis as The Brow[11]
- Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman[11]
- Gabriel Iglesias as Speedy Gonzales[12][11]
- Damian Lillard as Chronos[11]
- Candi Milo as Granny[11]
- Nneka Ogwumike as Arachnneka[11]
- Diana Taurasi as White Mamba[11]
- Klay Thompson as Wetfire[11]
- Zendaya as Lola Bunny[13][11]
Production
In February 2014, Warner Bros. announced a potential sequel set to star LeBron James. Charlie Ebersol was set to produce, with a script by his brother, Willie.[14] Representatives of James denied the claim that he would be involved.[15] In May 2014, James was quoted as saying, "I've always loved Space Jam. It was one of my favorite movies growing up. If I have the opportunity, it will be great."[16] In July 2015, James and his production company, SpringHill Entertainment, signed a deal with Warner Bros. for television, movies and digital content after receiving positive reviews for his acting role in Trainwreck.[17][18][19] On 2 May 2016, Justin Lin was said to be in talks to direct the sequel; co-writing the screenplay with Andrew Dodge and Alfredo Botello.[20] In August 2016, the Sneaker Bar Detroit company said that the movie is still in the works.[21]
In a November 2016 interview with Mr. Wavvy, Space Jam director Joe Pytka revealed that following the first film's success, he had been pitched a "really weird" idea for a sequel that would have starred pro golfer Tiger Woods, with Jordan in a smaller role. Pytka explained how the idea came from an out of studio script conference, with people who worked on the original film allegedly involved. Ultimately, nothing materialized from the idea.[22][23] Producer Ivan Reitman participated in similar interview with Mr. Wavvy, also in November 2016, in which he also revealed an idea he had for a sequel, though his sequel would have starred Jordan.[24] By August 2017, Justin Lin confirmed the film's oncoming production.[25]
Justin Lin mentioned in August 2017 that the movie was still continuing production, but the movie was in a clash with the Hotwheels movie to see which one gets released first.[26]
On 7 March 2021, it was announced Pepé Le Pew was removed from the film.[27]
Notes
- The first proposal for a sequel would have featured competition between Michael Jordan and the Tunes up against Berserk-O!, a new alien villain who was planned to be voiced by Mel Brooks. Ultimately, Jordan didn't agree to return, for a producer lied about his involvement.
- In The First Look teaser on Xbox, the Looney Tunes appear as they did in the first Space Jam rather than their current incarnations in Looney Tunes Cartoons on HBO Max.
- This is the second Warner Animation Group film in 2021 to be produced in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, following Tom & Jerry.
- On 3 April 2021, the first trailer was released online and revealed a number of references and cameos of characters from franchises owned by Warner Bros., including Hanna-Barbera, DC Comics, Animaniacs, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, Mad Max, The Lord of the Rings, Wizarding World, and The Matrix, as well as films, such as The Wizard of Oz, The Maltese Falcon, King Kong, A Clockwork Orange, The Mask, Smallfoot, Casablanca, The Goonies, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Iron Giant, and It, among many others.
- This is the first Looney Tunes production since 2015's Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run to depict Daffy in his 1950s Chuck Jones incarnation.
- The Nerdlucks from Space Jam appear in the movie, though only through reused animation.
- The "Big Chungus" Bugs Bunny imitation from "Wabbit Twouble" appears for a few seconds within a scene with LeBron James acting like Elmer Fudd.
- Bob Bergen is the only voice actor from the original film to reprise his role in this film; in this case, he reprised his role as Tweety, but not as Porky Pig or Marvin the Martian.
- Porky Pig's rap battle uses the same beat as the song "Flava in Ya Ear" by Craig Mack.
- According to story artist Steve Fonti, Penelope Pussycat was originally planned to appear along with Pepé Le Pew. Pepé was cut in wake of the MeToo movement and Penelope was cut because she had no foil.[28]
- Steve Fonti improvised a deleted sequence of falling gags as the Looney Tunes enter Marvin the Martian’s ship and fall on the command bridge. It was pitched after Malcolm D. Lee became the director. Sylvester was originally going to have an obese design after lazing around in Thundercats world since the first Space Jam. Sylvester Jr. was also considered in story concepts.[29][30]
- Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith from this movie are not the same versions as the mainline ones from Rick and Morty. This movie is canon to the Rick and Morty multiverse, however as a later episode of the series depicts mainline Rick killing the versions from the film.[31]
Gallery
Main Article: Space Jam A New Legacy/Gallery
Videos
References
- ↑ Stephen, Eric. ‘Space Jam 2’ will be released in July 2021. Retrieved on 22 February 2019.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony. Warner Bros Sets Entire 2021 Movie Slate To Debut On HBO Max Along With Cinemas In Seismic Windows Model Shakeup. Retrieved on 3 December 2020.
- ↑ Curtis, Charles. The 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' plot actually sounds pretty awesome. Retrieved on 4 December 2020.
- ↑ Official website.
- ↑ Official website.
- ↑ Game on! LeBron James balls out in Space Jam: A New Legacy first look.
- ↑ Game on! LeBron James balls out in Space Jam: A New Legacy first look.
- ↑ pittmag
- ↑ youtube
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 11.9 https://collider.com/space-jam-2-goon-squad-character-posters/
- ↑ Daily Mail
- ↑ EW
- ↑ Busch, Anita (February 21, 2014). Ebersols Aboard To Produce And Script Warner Bros' 'Space Jam 2′ As A Starring Vehicle For LeBron James. Deadline. Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ Moore, Matt (February 21, 2014). Report: No 'Space Jam 2' planned for LeBron James. CBS Sports. Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ Space Jam 2 Rumors: NBA MVPs Rumored To Clash As LeBron James And Kevin Durant To Star In Sequel! KD To Tune Squad And LBJ To Monstars?. KDrama Stars (May 16, 2014). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ LeBron James signs with Warner Bros., stokes rumors of 'Space Jam' sequel. Los Angeles Times (July 22, 2015). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ LeBron James: I’ll help pay for hundreds of kids to go to college. TODAY.com.
- ↑ Trumbore, Dave (August 14, 2015). LeBron James Hopeful for 'Great Things' in 'Space Jam 2′. Collider. Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ Ford, Rebecca (May 2, 2016). Justin Lin Circling 'Space Jam' Sequel Starring LeBron James (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ Air Jordan 7 "Hare" Promo Space Jam Movie Prop Up for Grabs. SneakerBarDetroit (August 11, 2016). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ "Space Jam" Director Reveals Spike Lee Almost Wrote the Film, Scrapped Tiger Woods Sequel. Mr. Wavvy (November 15, 2016). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ The Space Jam 2 You Never Saw Almost Featured Tiger Woods. Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ Ivan Reitman confirms Twins sequel still in the works with Eddie Murphy. consequenceofsound.net (November 23, 2016). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ Justin Lin says that he's "getting closer every day" to filming Space Jam 2. Joblo (August 1, 2017). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
- ↑ http://nerdist.com/space-jam-2-is-still-happening-just-not-anytime-soon/
- ↑ https://deadline.com/2021/03/pepe-le-pew-space-jam-2-new-york-times-rape-culture-controversy-1234708688/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvPYcnXua7G/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- ↑ https://stevefonti.com/space-jam-a-new-legacy-practice-montage-part-one/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvPYcnXua7G/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- ↑ https://screenrant.com/rick-morty-season-7-space-jamence-ridiculous/
| The Looney Tunes films |
|---|
| Featurette |
| Adventures of the Road-Runner |
| Behind-the-scenes documentaries |
| Bugs Bunny: Superstar | Chuck Amuck: The Movie |
| Greatest Hits retrospectives |
| Centering on Bugs Bunny |
| The Bugs Bunny Road-Runner Movie | Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie | Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales | Looney Tunes Hall of Fame |
| Centering on Daffy Duck |
| Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island | Daffy Duck's Quackbusters |
| Original cinematic material |
| Space Jam | Looney Tunes Back in Action | Space Jam A New Legacy |
| Direct-to-video releases |
| Tweety's High-Flying Adventure | Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas | Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run | King Tweety | Taz: Quest for Burger |
| Cameos |
| Two Guys from Texas | My Dream Is Yours | It's a Great Feeling | A Political Cartoon | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Justice League: The New Frontier |