There is perhaps no piece of 1990s nostalgia more universally loved than Space Jam. When I was 6, my two favorite people in the world were Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny. And then they made a movie together! It was perfect. So it’s no surprise that people have been excitedly clamoring for a Space Jam 2 starring 2015’s equivalent to Michael Jordan (at the very least in global superstar status,) LeBron James.
Here are the reasons people think LeBron James might be in ‘Space Jam 2’
James has long been rumored to be in a sequel to Michael Jordan’s nostalgia machine. Now he’s in business with the people who could hypothetically make that sequel.
The rumors have been there for a while. In February 2014, there were pretty serious reports that a Space Jam 2 was in the works. They got so far that a slew of human beings actually got upset James was picked over Kobe Bryant, who has long sought to be considered Jordan’s successor, both on the court and apparently in cartoon movies.
Those rumors got a rebump Wednesday when word came out of a multi-platform entertainment deal between LeBron and Warner Bros., the film studio that produced Space Jam and holds the rights to the film. The deal includes television, digital, and yes, film content. COULD THIS MEAN SPACE JAM 2 IS HAPPENING?
Media reporter Alex Weprin pointed out that Warner Bros. had recently filed for renewed trademarks to produce “Space Jam” merchandise:
Warner Bros. filed new trademarks for "Space Jam" last month. Today announced deal with LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/WaZ33sXCsY
— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) July 22, 2015 ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted that several companies have tried to get James to appear in a reboot of the movie over the last few years.
James is clearly trying to expand his off-the-court persona -- he played a relatively large role in the recent Amy Schumer/Bill Hader comedy Trainwreck, and his Springhill Entertainment group produced Survivor’s Remorse, a Starz show about a basketball player adjusting to the NBA lifestyle.
We don’t know for sure if a Space Jam 2 is in the works -- Warner Bros. already owns the trademark for the movie, so they wouldn’t have to file anything with the patent office to make an additional film, meaning they haven’t dropped any unintentional paperwork hints and that we don’t know for sure if anything is happening. But James now has a bonafide business deal with the company that legally has the ability to make another Space Jam. That’s a thing!
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SB Nation presents: What the heck was going on in this ‘80s hit?
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