C'mon and slam, and welcome to the jam! Great news for fans of the 1996 live-action/animation hybrid sports comedy Space Jam: the sequel just got a step closer to becoming a reality. Warner Bros. is reportedly in talks with director Justin Lin (Fast & Furious, Star Trek Beyond) to helm the spacey sports sequel that will star LeBron James. This picture's been rumored for a while now but gained some more traction when James signed a media deal with WB.
Today, THR reported that Lin is in talks to direct Space Jam 2 while screenwriter Andrew Dodge (Bad Words) is onboard to pen the script. The interesting thing here is that Dodge is actually the relative novice of the trio having only penned one produced script, an R-rated comedy starring Jason Bateman. James, however, has a handful of voice-acting credits to his name along with a big-screen scene in Trainwreck; this already makes him a better actor than Michael Jordan ever was, if only because he seems to be genuinely enthusiastic about performing.
Lin is obviously the veteran here, having helmed numerous pictures, though the most well-known are his four Fast and Furious franchise films. The high-profile test for Lin will be on display this summer as his other franchise installment Star Trek Beyond makes its way into theaters around the world this July.
Lin will likely bring his action experience to the script, which he's working on with Dodge, while the screenwriter will exercise his comedy chops on the project; the two are also collaborating on an untitled cop comedy, which Lin will produce through Perfect Storm Entertainment, and a TV drama for HBO that Lin and Jeremy Renner are producing. James, of course, will bring his athletic talents and more to the movie, in which he'll act opposite Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes characters.
The first film earned $230.4 million worldwide and starred Jordan alongside the Tunes in order to team up to play a game of basketball against a group of aliens threatening their freedom. These aliens, who eventually called themselves "Monstars," stole the talent from a number of professional basketball players who made cameo appearances in the film. You can bet that Space Jam 2 finds plenty of opportunities to allow a new generation of NBA pros into the mix.
Are you anticipating or dreading Space Jam 2? Let us know in the comments below! But for now, enjoy this amazing song on the original movie's 20th anniversary:
