Space Jam: A New Legacy just got a new trailer and it’s pitting the legendary Tune Squad against the villainous Goon Squad for the highly anticipated sequel. This time around, we get a closer look at LeBron James as a cartoon character, the all-star cast of Warner Bros. characters crossing into this universe, and the plot that’s previously been obscured. Watch the trailer below.
The sequel to the 1996 smash hit centers around James’ relationship with his son Dom and his struggle to understand why he prefers creating games to playing games. When his son is pulled into a virtual server controlled by an A.I. villain named Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle), James links up with the Toon Squad — Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Roadrunner, and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang — to defeat the Cheadle-led Goon Squad in a game of basketball. If James loses, then the Toon Squad will be “deleted” from the server’s memory.
Space Jam: A New Legacy will no doubt be James’ biggest role in a movie to date, following his scene-stealing character in Trainwreck. In addition to Cheadle, the cast also features Cedric Joe as Dom, Ceyair Wright as James’ older son Darius, Harper Leigh Alexander as his daughter Xosha, and Sonequa Martin-Green as his wife Kamiyah. Plus, Khris Davis, Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, and Zendaya (who plays a less-sexualized version of Lola Bunny) are also listed as cast members.
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It’s been a long and winding road for this Space Jam sequel to come to fruition. It was originally supposed to be directed by Justin Lin (Fast & Furious 6) before switching to Terence Nance (Random Acts of Flyness) and then finally it landed in the hands of Malcolm D. Lee (Girl’s Trip). Luckily Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) stayed onboard as the main producer that whole time. After finally wrapping up filming once and for all, it’s no wonder that James felt compelled to give an inspiring farewell speech to bid it adieu.
The rumors of a Space Jam 2 started circulating online more than a decade ago. Once it was confirmed in 2016 that James would star in the sequel, nearly everyone weighed in on the idea: Michael Jordan, the original director, and even NBA stars like Patrick Patterson. One thing’s for certain, though: the initial plans to make Tiger Woods the star of sequel would have been a lot worse than whatever Space Jam: A New Legacy has in store for fans.
Space Jam: A New Legacy is scheduled to come out on July 16th. It’s one of many Warner Bros.’ 2021 films that will hit theaters and HBO Max on the same day.
