After smashing box office record with Marvel’s Black Panther earlier this year, filmmaker Ryan Coogler has now signed on to produce Warner Bros.’ long-gestating Space Jam follow-up, which has NBA superstar LeBron James attached to star.
“I loved his vision [for Black Panther], so for Ryan to be able to bring that to kids, it’s amazing.” said James, who is also producing the new movie. “The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie. 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. And I think Ryan did that for a lot of people.”
The original Space Jam was released in 1996 saw Michael Jordan teaming up with the Looney Tunes characters to take on the Monstars, a group of aliens who want to enslave Bugs Bunny and company in their intergalactic amusement park. The live-action/animation hybrid was a huge hit, grossing over $230 million at the box office.
Terence Nance (Random Acts of Flyness, The Oversimplification of Her Beauty) is set to direct the new Space Jam, which is slated to shoot during the 2019 NBA off-season.
