Finally, 22 years after the first one, we’re going to see round two of the Looney Tunes versus the Monstars.
Space Jam 2 is officially happening, and it’s got a whole new cast and crew on board (though I really hope Bill Murray makes another appearance).
The new movie is going to be produced by Black Panther‘s Ryan Coogler, and directed by Terence Nance, who created HBO‘s Random Acts of Flyness.
Production is due to start in 2019, during NBA off-season, which is handy as it’s only going to star four time NBA Most Valuable Player, two time Olympic gold medal winner and three time All-Star Game MVP, LeBron James.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, LeBron said:
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.
Ryan Coogler, who directed Creed and Fruitvale Station, is one of the industry’s most sought-after artists, largely thanks to his record breaking work on Black Panther.
The superhero movie grossed $1.34 billion worldwide, and has become the highest-grossing film ever by a black director.
LeBron also mentioned how, growing up in Akron, Ohio, there were no black superheroes, and added:
So for Ryan to be able to bring that to kids, it’s amazing.
Before adding how he ‘loved his [Coogler’s] vision’ for Black Panther.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.