‘Space Jam’ Director Calls Sequel “Doomed”

Joe Pytka, director of the original Space Jam, isn’t a believer in the sequel. The sequel, will reportedly feature LeBron James, be directed by Justin Lin, and receive a script from Andrew Dodge.

For those unfamiliar, Space Jam was a live action/animation hybrid which paired Michael Jordan and other professional basketball players with the Looney Tunes and made over $230 million at the worldwide box office. Pytka believes James is no longer popular enough to headline the sequel, which would be still be at least another two years away.

“Don’t do it. It’s doomed. Michael Jordan was the biggest star on the planet. When we did Space Jam, there was a perfect storm of players and ex-players available — Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing… They all had a persona that complemented the film. There are none around like that now.”

Pytka thinks maybe Steph Curry would be able to headline the film, but even still the movie would need other headline players to fill it out. Furthermore, the original Space Jam is entirely fueled by nostalgia and a sequel wouldn’t likely be any good.

Producer of Space Jam, Ivan Reitman said every week “he’d have a meeting with Warners co-chairman Bob Daly, who would remind him that Looney Tunes characters were the ‘studio’s crown jewels — those were the words he’d use.’” Warner Bros. seems to really want the Looney Tunes to be treated correctly, another hurdle a possible sequel would face.

Do you think Space Jam 2 is doomed? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Collider