If you were hoping that the upcoming ‘Space Jam 2’ would emulate its predecessor’s story with LeBron James playing the part of Michael Jordan in saving the skills of fellow NBA stars, you’re out of luck.
According to Tatiana Siegel of The Hollywood Reporter, due to issues in getting other NBA stars, LeBron’s version of ‘Space Jam’ will not be reliant on having fellow NBA stars in the picture.
It’s more complicated than it seems. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry, James Harden and Kevin Durant likely won’t join James on the celluloid court. But that has more to do with sneaker contracts and the film’s script — the latest version is being penned by Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler and Searching‘s Sev Ohanian — and less to do with James’ ability to enlist high-profile ballers. In fact, Warner Bros. is responsible for roping in talent, not James.
So it appears that due to other contractual obligations, several would-be co-stars aren’t available to participate in the film. Earlier this week, we learned that Giannis Antetokounmpo turned down a potential role in ‘Space Jam 2’ because he doesn’t want to deal with Hollywood.
These complications is forcing a slight departure from the formula that made the original ‘Space Jam’ such a commercial success. They will still have the NBA’s most famous active player and they will still have Bugs Bunny. But how they deal with this complication may determine how big of a hit ends up as.
