14 DAY TRIAL // There was a lot of excitement on the internet yesterday at the news that not only was the famous animated/live-action mash-up movie “Space Jam” getting a sequel, but NBA superstar LeBron James would be starring in the title role as well.
Today, the player's camp has denied the rumors and ESPN tweeted in disappointment “Well it was fun while it lasted. LeBron sources refute Deadline report, there's no Space Jam 2 or Warner Bros. project in works.”
It was Deadline that first made the announcement that there was a sequel in the works for the 1996 smash hit starring Michael Jordan, alongside an animated cast that included the most lovable Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Pepe Le Pew.
The project was thought to be developed by Charlie and Wille Ebersol, who happen to be the sons of sports broadcaster Dick Ebersol, mainly to launch LeBron into an acting career.
The Ebersol brothers have ties with sports as well as broadcasting, with Charlie having worked with the NFL and Willie actually picking up an Emmy for his broadcast of the London Olympics. Charlie was rumored to handle production and Willie was supposed to be in charge of writing the script.
The rumors were aided by a fake “Space Jam 2” poster which made its way online some time ago, but also by the fact that LeBron had publicly professed his love for the classic starring Michael Jordan in a tweet “I love that movie. Wish I could do Space Jam 2!”
The cast for the original movie didn't only include Michael Jordan, but also some other former basketball superstars, such as Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley. Though they didn't make any waves with their on-screen performance, the movie proved to be a box-office hit, as was the soundtrack.