It was certainly fun while it lasted; for those just catching up, Space Jam 2 was allegedly in the works with LeBron James in tow. CBS has reported that, there no such plans for LeBron James to star in the movie. While it is still unclear if Space Jam 2 itself is confirmed, as Warner Brothers is neither refuting the claims not accepting it.
On top of that, Rovell’s use of the term “substantive discussions” can be read a couple of different ways – including that there have been some early talks, just no deals made. Deadline has named specific producers and writers on the project, which certainly indicates Warner Bros. is indeed developing Space Jam 2 and LeBron James is probably the intended star. But who knows, perhaps a different basketball star could ultimately take that slot?
The original Space Jam was released in 1996 with NBA legend Michael Jordan as the lead. In that film, Jordan agreed to help the Looney Tunes play a game versus alien slavers to determine their freedom. In addition to Jordan, the film featured NBA players Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Danny Ainge, Tyron “Muggsy” Bogues, Vlade Divac, Cedric Ceballos, Larry Johnson, Shawn Bradley and Paul West.
In addition to the various NBA players and Looney Tunes characters, we think Warner Bros. will want to cast several sellable movie stars in the film. The original starred Bill Murray and Wayne Knight, and putting in similar big stars for this sequel will be an important move to bring people to the theater.
There is currently no timeline for the production of Space Jam 2.