This week, Warner Bros. announced a deal with SpringHill Entertainment, which is owned by the NBA’s LeBron James. The companies are calling their affiliation a “content creation partnership,” with “plans for projects in television, film and original digital content.”
In other words, get ready for Space Jam 2.
Plans for a remake of the original Space Jam movie, a 1996 basketball classic starring Michael Jordan alongside various Warner Bros. cartoon characters, have not been confirmed. But the film studio, owned by Time Warner, recently filed new trademarks on the phrase words “Space Jam” on almost every imaginable item that foreseeably could be marketed along with a new movie, ranging from party favors to pajamas to “mounted and/or unmounted photographs.”
The tie-up with James’ company has only furthered speculation that the film—made during Jordan’s reign as the biggest star in basketball—is ready for a reboot with the game’s current top player.
The symbolic significance of (potentially) taking the Space Jam cinematic reigns from Jordan must not be lost on James. Since the day he entered the NBA in 2003 as a bright-eyed 18-year-old, he has faced questions about whether he could ever match Jordan’s greatness.
He might not be there just yet, but his performance on the court suggest it’s James who soon may be known as the greatest living legend in basketball. He is holding his own against Jordan off the court, too. Film critics have been raving about his acting debut in the recently released comedy Trainwreck, in which James plays a fictionalized version of himself. New Yorker film critic Ian Crouch writes that James is “the funniest person“ in the film—high praise considering he shares the screen with comedic darlings Amy Schumer and Bill Hader.
Whether James can pull off the same comedic deadpan and charisma alongside Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck remains to be seen.
As for Space Jam fans who are eagerly awaiting another installment, there is always the glorious Space Jam website, which appears to have remained untouched since its mid-’90s debut.