Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson took to The Players Tribune in an article published Thursday, pleading with Hollywood not to make the long-rumored sequel to the classic film Space Jam.
The Raptors’ Patrick Patterson is anti-’Space Jam 2’ because the 1st one was ‘perfect’
The Raptors forward outlines a convincing argument as to why one Space Jam was enough for a lifetime.
Patterson wrote a powerful, compelling argument against a remake, calling Space Jam “the perfect movie.” He noted at one point that “To make a sequel to Space Jam would be like trying to paint the Mona Lisa again. Sure, you can probably do it, but why the hell would you want to?”
The Raptors forward also acknowledges that he is quite the film buff, as he had the opportunity to cover the Toronto International Film Festival for Canadian TV network CBC.
Despite understanding the desire in Hollywood to aim for profit margins and box office smashes by doing everything bigger and better, Patterson argues that doing so would take away “the soul” of the movie. “I think the reason the original Space Jam was so amazing was that it had absolutely no business being good,” Patterson wrote.
Patterson also outlines how the second Space Jam may not achieve the balance the first one did when it came to star cameos. The first version did squeeze in a lot of stars, with at least six NBA players, a retired legend in Larry Bird, and over a dozen different Looney Tunes, not to mention Bill Murray. That movie really did balance well between a bunch of different big egos.
That probably wouldn’t work as well today. You know Drake’s already calling his agent trying to make this cameo happen. The squeezing of athletes and celebrities is already happening and this movie isn’t even in production yet!
Where Patterson’s argument really shines, however, is in his defense of the irreplaceable Bill Murray cameo in the original Space Jam film.
Also, the sequel would somehow need to improve upon what was, objectively, a perfect script. I mean, who’s gonna replace Bill Murray? Who on earth is going to replace Bill Murray? They could barely get him to do a small cameo in the new Ghostbusters, I’m not feeling optimistic about getting him for Space Jam 2. And make no mistake, Bill Murray is the Space Jam glue guy. Without him, the whole thing falls apart. He’s also got a handle.
Kevin James can’t do that.
He’s right. Kevin James most certainly cannot do that. Bill Murray is undoubtedly the ultimate “glue guy,” as after all, he was the one who set up the rally that allowed the Tune Squad to win.
He even brings up the great lesson Space Jam taught us all, that the ability to succeed remains inside us all along. “Michael’s Secret Stuff” powered the Tune Squad to victory, but how will Space Jam 2 beat that? Instead of the generic cartoon water bottle, the “Secret Stuff” likely gets sold off to the highest bidder, becoming an egregiously obvious product placement opportunity.
Patterson’s argument wraps up with a stirring final argument for why Space Jam should not be remade.
Some things are bigger than money, though. Some things are sacred. I think the rich legacy of Space Jam is one of those things. What a tragedy it would be if even one kid was deterred from watching the original Space Jam because Space Jam 2 was just horrible. We simply can’t let that happen.
We were welcomed to the Space Jam once. Why can’t that be enough?
He has a real point. Space Jam is bigger than money; it’s a part of the childhood of millions of Americans. Space Jam 2 may proceed forward regardless, but Patterson gives us another reminder of just how uniquely great the original Space Jam was.
