Space Jam: A New Legacy

Space Jam: A New Legacy
File:Space Jam A New Legacy Theatrical Poster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Malcolm D. Lee
Screenplay by	Juel Taylor Tony Rettenmaier Keenan Coogler Terence Nance Jesse Gordon Celeste Ballard
Story by	Juel Taylor Tony Rettenmaier Keenan Coogler Terence Nance
Based on	Space Jam by Leo Benvenuti Steve Rudnick Timothy Harris Herschel Weingrod
Produced by	Ryan Coogler LeBron James Maverick Carter Duncan Henderson
Starring	LeBron James Don Cheadle Khris Davis Sonequa Martin-Green Cedric Joe Jeff Bergman Eric Bauza Zendaya
Cinematography	Salvatore Totino
Edited by	Bob Ducsay
Music by	Kris Bowers
Production companies	Warner Animation Group Proximity Media The SpringHill Company
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	July 12, 2021 (2021-07-12) (Los Angeles) July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16) (United States)
Running time	115 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150 million
Box office	$13.3 million

Space Jam: A New Legacy is a 2021 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee, serving as a standalone sequel based on 1996’s Space Jam. It is the first theatrically-released film to feature the Looney Tunes characters since Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), and is also a combination of live-action, traditional hand-drawn animation, and 3D CGI effects. The film stars basketball player LeBron James as a fictionalized version of himself, along with Don Cheadle, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Cedric Joe in live-action roles, while Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, and Zendaya headline the Looney Tunes voice cast. Set in a shared Warner Bros. virtual space multiverse, the film follows James teaming up with the Looney Tunes to win a basketball match against digitized champions to rescue his son from a rogue AI.

Talks for a Space Jam successor began after the release of the first film, which Joe Pytka would have returned to direct. Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone signed on as the animation supervisors, but eventually the deal fell through due to Michael Jordan's refusal to return. Several possible spin-offs focusing on other athletes, including Jeff Gordon, Tiger Woods, and Tony Hawk, were also discussed, but never came to fruition. After several years of languishing, a LeBron James-led sequel was officially announced in 2014 with filming beginning under Terence Nance in June 2019 around Los Angeles. After a few weeks into filming, Nance left the project and Lee was hired to replace him in July 2019.

Space Jam: A New Legacy was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on July 16, 2021, both in theaters and on HBO Max for a month after its theatrical release. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, who found it spoiled with product placement by the studio and lacking in the original film's quirky and self-referential humor.

Plot

Basketball champion LeBron James wishes for both of his sons, Darius and Dom, to follow in his footsteps, but Dom, a child prodigy in computer software, instead dreams of becoming a video game developer. LeBron's wife Kamiyah advises him to respect Dom's wish. While showing an interest in Dom's game, Dom discovers a glitch in his character after performing a specific move which causes the character to be deleted, to his chagrin.

Later, LeBron is invited with his family to the Warner Bros. studio to discuss a movie deal, but LeBron dismisses the idea while Dom shows an interest in the studio's software, particularly its state-of-the-art A.I., Al-G Rhythm. Dom expresses an interest in a future with Warner Bros, leading to a blowup argument with his father at basketball camp when LeBron refuses to let him give up on the sport. Al-G, who has secretly become self-aware and desires more recognition from the world, lures the two to the basement and traps them in virtual reality.

Taking Dom as his prisoner, he orders LeBron to assemble a basketball team made entirely from fictional characters owned by Warner Bros. to compete against his own team in a day's time, telling him that he will only be released if he wins, and sends him through the virtual space where he lands in Tune World. Meanwhile, Al-G talks to Dom and begins to turn him against his father by playing on his resentments and helping him develop and upgrade himself and his game, which he secretly intends to use against LeBron.

LeBron finds Tune World deserted save only for Bugs Bunny, who explains that Al-G persuaded the rest of the Looney Tunes to leave their world and explore other realities. Using a spaceship belonging to Marvin the Martian, LeBron and Bugs travel to different worlds based on Warner Bros properties such as DC Comics, Harry Potter, Casablanca, and Game of Thrones to locate and recruit the rest of the Looney Tunes, such as Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny and Porky Pig, into the "Tune Squad."

Over Bugs' objections, LeBron insists on coaching his new players on the fundamentals of basketball. The Tune Squad meet with Al-G's team, the Goon Squad, comprised of upgraded avatars of several active professional basketball players with superpowers and led by Dom. To further the stakes, Al-G livestreams the game and abducts countless viewers, including LeBron's family, into the virtual reality while summoning all the Warner Bros. characters to watch the game. Al-G says that if the Tune Squad loses, the viewers will remain there for eternity and the Looney Tunes will be deleted permanently.

The Goon Squad easily dominate the first half of the game, using their powers to score extra points. During the break, Sylvester attempts to recruit former Tune Squad member Michael Jordan, but accidentally locates Michael B. Jordan instead. LeBron realizes his mistake and allows Bugs to devise the strategy for the second half using their cartoon physics to catch up with the Goon Squad. During a respite however, LeBron confronts Dom and tells him he no longer wants to stand in the way of his dream.

Al-G assumes control of the Goon Squad and uses his own abilities to make them seemingly unbeatable. Dom suddenly discovers the only way to win the game is to use the move he previously showed LeBron, even though he will be deleted. During the final seconds of the game, Bugs performs the move, sacrificing himself and enabling Dom to help LeBron score the final point, winning the game and posterizing Al-G, deleting him. The James family and the abducted citizens are returned to the real world, while in Tune World, Bugs bids farewell to his friends before he disappears.

In the real world, LeBron comes to see his family in a different light and supports Dom's decision to become a video game designer. After dropping him off at E3, he is approached by Bugs, who actually survived due to the fact that as a fictional character, he can't really "die". He asks LeBron to put him up for a little while until he can find a way back to Tune World. LeBron agrees, but Bugs goes on to ask if he can invite the rest of the Looney Tunes over as well.

Cast

Live-action cast

• LeBron James as LeBron James, a fictionalized version of himself that uses many personalities from his real-world counterpart. James also voices his animated form.
  • Stephen Kankole as a young LeBron (13 years)
• Don Cheadle as Al-G Rhythm, an evil computer A.I. whose name is a pun on "algorithm".
• Cedric Joe as Dominic "Dom" James, LeBron's younger son who is a fictionalized version of Bryce James and the one who created the Goon Squad avatars for Al-G Rhythm.
• Sonequa Martin-Green as Kamiyah James, LeBron's wife who is a fictionalized version of Savannah James.
• Khris Davis as Malik, LeBron's childhood friend.
  • Jalyn Hall as young Malik (13 years)
• Ceyair J. Wright as Darius James, LeBron's oldest son who is a fictionalized version of LeBron "Bronny" James Jr.
• Harper Leigh Alexander as Xosha James, LeBron's daughter who is a fictionalized version of Zhuri James.

Additionally, Ernie Johnson Jr. and Lil Rel Howery appear as themselves working as the game announcers; Xosha Roquemore appears as Shanice James, LeBron's mother and a fictionalized version of Gloria Marie James; Wood Harris appears as Coach C, LeBron's childhood coach; Sarah Silverman and Steven Yeun cameo as Warner Bros. executives; and Slink Johnson cameos as a Warner Bros. Security Guard. Basketball players Sue Bird, Draymond Green, and A'ja Wilson also cameo as themselves.

While Michael Jordan does not appear in the film, he also makes a photographic cameo on the original Space Jam's poster shown in Al-G. Rythym's Warner 3000 pitch. He is also mentioned and teased to appear in the scene featuring actor Michael B. Jordan's cameo. Don Cheadle teased this gag prior to the film's release, stating, "Michael Jordan is in the movie, but not in the way that you would expect it." Bill Murray, who appeared in the original film, makes a photographic cameo playing golf alongside Bugs Bunny in the credits.

Voice cast

• Jeff Bergman as Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Fred Flintstone, and Yogi Bear
• Eric Bauza as Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd and Marvin the Martian
• Zendaya as Lola Bunny
• Bob Bergen as Tweety
• Candi Milo as Granny
• Gabriel Iglesias as Speedy Gonzales
• Fred Tatasciore as the Tasmanian Devil (most recordings)
• Jim Cummings as the Tasmanian Devil (some recordings, uncredited)
• Paul Julian (archive recordings) as the Road Runner (uncredited)
• Anthony Davis as The Brow, a male harpy-like Goon Squad member. The character is named after one of Davis's nicknames.
  • Davis also appears as himself in a live-action cameo.
• Damian Lillard as Chronos, a speedy robotic Goon Squad member. The character is inspired by Lillard's basketball nickname "Dame Time".
  • Lillard also appears as himself in a live-action cameo.
• Klay Thompson as Wet-Fire, an elemental Goon Squad member with aquakinesis and pyrokinesis. The character is inspired in part by the "Splash Brothers" nickname given to the duo of Thompson and Stephen Curry.
  • Thompson also appears as himself in a live-action cameo.
• Nneka Ogwumike as Arachnneka, a spider-like Goon Squad member. The character is named after Ogwumike.
  • Ogwumike also appears as herself in a live-action cameo.
• Diana Taurasi as White Mamba, a nāga-like Goon Squad member. The character is inspired by Taurasi's basketball nickname "White Mamba".
  • Taurasi also appears as herself in a live-action cameo.
• Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman
• Justin Roiland as Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith

Additionally, other non-speaking Looney Tunes characters and Warner Bros. appear, including Wile E. Coyote, Gossamer, and Penelope Pussycat.

The antagonists of the first film, the Nerdlucks, cameo as spectators during the game. LeBron James had confirmed prior to the film’s release that their “Monstars” forms would not feature as A New Legacy would be a stand-alone sequel rather than a direct sequel.

Warner Bros. cameos and references

In this film are cameos and references to films that were made by Warner Bros. that appear in the Warner Bros. 3000 serververse. Dorothy Gale and a Flying Monkey from The Wizard of Oz, Pennywise from It, the Droogs from A Clockwork Orange, Beetlejuice, RoboCop, Boo-Boo Bear, Dick Dastardly, Muttley, Penelope Pitstop, the rest of The Flintstones, the Rubbles, Top Cat, Scooby-Doo and the rest of Mystery Inc., The Jetsons, Jabberjaw, Magilla Gorilla, Captain Caveman, The Herculoids, Frankenstein Jr. and Buzz Conrad, Space Ghost, Tony Soprano, Drogon from Game of Thrones, some Slytherin students from Harry Potter, Gandalf, Frodo Baggins, and Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, Joker from Batman, Joker from Batman, Penguin from Batman Returns, Catwoman, Flash, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, Riddler, Bane, The Iron Giant, King Kong, Cheetara from ThunderCats, and an unidentified agent from The Matrix are seen watching the match between the Toon Squad and the Goon Squad.

Production

Development

A sequel to Space Jam was planned as early as 1996, shortly after the original film was released in theaters worldwide. As development began, Space Jam 2 was going to involve a new basketball competition between Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes and Berserk-O!, a new alien villain who was planned to be voiced by Mel Brooks. Artist Bob Camp was tasked with designing Berserk-O! and his henchmen. Joe Pytka would have returned to direct and Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone signed on as the animation supervisors. However, Michael Jordan did not agree to star in a sequel. According to Camp, a producer lied to the studio by claiming that Jordan had signed on in order to keep development going. Without Jordan involved with the project, Warner Bros. was not interested, and cancelled plans for Space Jam 2.

The potential sequel reentered development as Spy Jam and was to star Jackie Chan in a different script. The studio was also planning a film titled Race Jam which would have starred Jeff Gordon. Additionally, Pytka revealed that following the first film's success, he had been pitched a story for a sequel that would have starred professional golfer Tiger Woods, with Jordan in a smaller role. Pytka explained how the idea came from an out-of-studio script conference, with people who worked on the original film allegedly involved. Producer Ivan Reitman was reportedly in favor of a film which would again star Jordan. The follow-up films were ultimately cancelled in favor of Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). A film titled Skate Jam was in early development with Tony Hawk in the starring role. Plans were underway for production to begin immediately following the release of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but were canceled due to the poor financial performance of said film despite improved critical reception to Space Jam.

Resurgence

In February 2014, Warner Bros. officially announced development of a sequel that would star LeBron James. Charlie Ebersol was set to produce, while Willie Ebersol wrote the script. By May of the same year, James was quoted as saying, "I've always loved Space Jam. It was one of my favorite movies growing up. If I have the opportunity, it will be great." In July 2015, James and his film studio, SpringHill Entertainment, signed a deal with Warner Bros. for television, film and digital content after receiving positive reviews for his role in Trainwreck. By 2016, Justin Lin signed onto the project as director, and co-screenwriter with Andrew Dodge and Alfredo Botello. Professional player Kobe Bryant also expressed an interest in directing the film, though he was uninterested in a cameo appearance. By August 2018, Lin left the project, and Terence Nance was hired to direct the film. In September 2018, Ryan Coogler was announced as a producer for the film. SpringHill Entertainment released a promotional teaser image officially announcing the film, with production set to begin in 2019 during the NBA off-season. Filming was to take place in California within a 30 mile radius of Los Angeles. By April 2019, Coogler and Sev Ohanian were rewriting the script. Final screenplay credit would ultimately go to Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Keenan Coogler, Terance Nance, Jesse Gordon, and Celeste Ballard. Prior to production, the film received $21.8 million in tax credits as a result of a new tax incentive program from the state.

Filming

Principal photography began on June 25, 2019. On July 16, 2019, it was announced Nance was leaving the project because he and "the studio/producers had different takes on the creative vision for Space Jam 2", and that Malcolm D. Lee would serve as his replacement. Bradford Young, who was set to serve as cinematographer, also left the project and was replaced by Salvatore Totino.

Among locations used for filming included the Sheats–Goldstein Residence owned by James Goldstein, including turning its tennis court temporarily into a basketball court for the shooting. Production wrapped on September 16, 2019. The production spent at total of $183.7 million filming in California, receiving $21.8 million in tax rebates from the state. James held a farewell meeting talking about how he idolized with the first Space Jam film when he was a kid in Akron, Ohio, when the production wrapped, which was later leaked on August 16, 2020, along with pictures of James with his #6 Tune Squad outfit. A scene filmed under Nance's direction in June 2019 involving Pepé Le Pew attempting to flirt with a bartender (portrayed by Greice Santo), only to be rebuffed, was deleted. This decision was later met with backlash among many fans, who accused the studio of double standards by removing the character while allowing a cameo of Alex and his droogs, a gang that commits severe violence and sexual assaults in the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, to be retained. The film's trailer revealed that Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam will be allowed to appear with their trademark guns in the film; since HBO Max's Looney Tunes Cartoons, a ban had been enacted to not depict fire weapons due to all of the mass shootings and gun violence in the United States.

In March 2020, photos taken on set and a brief recording of the wrap party were leaked online, revealing that the film will feature characters from other Warner-owned properties. In April 2020, James officially revealed the title and logo of the film, as Space Jam: A New Legacy. Don Cheadle stated that LeBron had an injury he suffered during production, while the filmmakers had a rigorous schedule and shot 14 hours a day.

Animation and visual effects

Lucasfilm's visual effects division Industrial Light & Magic was hired to create the visual effects for Space Jam: A New Legacy. This is the second collaboration with the Looney Tunes in using ILM for visual effects since Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

In January 2020, veteran Walt Disney Animation Studios animator Tony Bancroft, was hired at Warner Animation Group to work on the film. In March 2020, James announced that work on the film's animation had commenced, while also revealing that the production had largely been unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic as most of the remaining work involves animation. That same month, a Warner Bros. Animation veteran Spike Brandt, was named as director of animation.

In July 2020, Dan Haskett, who has worked on the Looney Tunes since 1979, was hired to work in the animation department as well. Matt Williames, who has not worked with Warner Bros. since Looney Tunes: Back in Action, started doing animation for the movie in August of the same year. In May 2020, Ole Loken, who worked extensively on animation hit Klaus, announced that he will serve as an animator on the film. By October, Loken shared the design for Lola Bunny and Daffy Duck online, revealing that A New Legacy will stay true to previous designs of the Looney Tunes characters. Despite this, Lola's final design was adjusted to be less sexualized than the first film. The film includes both traditional and CG animation.

Music

Space Jam: A New Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09)
Label	Republic WaterTower Music

In January 2020, Hans Zimmer was announced as the composer for the film. By April of the same year, Kris Bowers was announced to be working with Zimmer as co-composers. However, in January 2021, it was officially confirmed that Bowers would receive sole credit. The soundtrack was released on July 9, 2021, and labeled by Republic Records and WaterTower Music.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listing

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"We Win"	Lil Baby Kirk Franklin	3:15
2.	"Control the World"	24kGoldn Lil Wayne	2:16
3.	"See Me Fly"	Chance the Rapper John Legend Symba	2:23
4.	"Hoops"	Saweetie Salt-N-Pepa Kash Doll	2:42
5.	"Pump Up the Jam"	Lil Uzi Vert	2:15
6.	"Just for Me"	Saint Jhn SZA	3:37
7.	"Crowd Go Crazy"	John Legend	3:00
8.	"Mercy"	Jonas Brothers	3:01
9.	"Gametime"	Lil Tecca Aminé	3:11
10.	"About That Time"	Dame D.O.L.L.A. G-Eazy P-Lo White Dave	3:11
11.	"MVP"	Brockhampton	2:51
12.	"Settle the Score"	Cordae Duckwrth	2:29
13.	"Goin' Looney"	Big Freedia	3:40
14.	"Shoot My Shot"	Joyner Lucas	3:22
15.	"My Guy"	Leon Bridges	3:20
16.	"The Best"	Anthony Ramos	3:01

Marketing

On April 3, 2021, the first trailer was released online and revealed a number of references and guests cameos of characters from franchises owned by Warner Bros. Jordan Hoffman from Vanity Fair compared the trailer to Disney's Tron franchise and fellow Warner Bros. film Ready Player One.

On June 10, 2021, Warner Bros. released another trailer for the film, which also included various cameos and references to characters from other Warner Bros owned franchises in addition to showing more focus on the Goon Squad (composed of avatars of various famous NBA players such as Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike), and Zendaya as Lola Bunny. Brianna Zigler of Paste remarked "The film looks like it might be fun in a turn-your-brain-off-and-enter-the-void sort of way."

Merchandise

In July 2020, a hat with the film's logo became available on the WB shop website. On September 1, 2020, it was announced that Australian toy company Moose Toys made a deal with Warner Bros. to make merchandise for the film along with the 2021 live-action/animated Tom and Jerry hybrid film. Hasbro also made a deal with Warner Bros. to make two Space Jam: A New Legacy versions of their board game properties Monopoly and Connect Four.

In June 2021, Nike and Converse revealed their tie-in merchandise for the film, which included numerous footwear and sportswear. The film is also set to debut the new LeBron 19 shoes. A tie-in video game, with ideas designed by Ricky of the United States and Narayan of India and developed by Digital Eclipse, was released on July 1, 2021, exclusively on the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks program. In June 29, 2021, DC Comics released a graphic novel adaption of the film.

In July 2021, McDonald's launched its limited time campaign in the participating restaurants by including twelve toys free with the purchase of a Happy Meal.

Release

Space Jam: A New Legacy was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on July 16, 2021, in, 3D, RealD 3D Dolby Cinema, IMAX 3D, and IMAX, 4DX, and ScreenX formats by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was also simultaneously released on HBO Max, available for subscribers of the ad-free plan to view at no extra cost for one month. The film premiered in Los Angeles on July 12, 2021. In September 2020, SpringHill Company signed a four-year contract with Universal Pictures, making this their fourth and final independent production.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Space Jam: A New Legacy was released alongside Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, and was initially projected to gross around $20 million from 3,965 theaters in its opening weekend. However after making $13.1 million on its first day, estimates were raised to $32 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 31% based on 127 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Despite LeBron James' best efforts to make a winning team out of the Tune Squad, Space Jam: A New Legacy trades the zany, meta humor of its predecessor for a shameless and tired exercise in IP-driven branding." According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 36 out of 100 based on 35 critics, the film received "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the same as the first film, while PostTrak reported 78% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 58% saying they would definitely recommend it.

A. A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a "C–", writing: "Space Jam: A New Legacy takes almost nothing but wrong turns, all leading to a glittering CGI trash heap of cameos, pat life lessons, and stale internet catchphrases. Its first misstep: keeping Bugs, Daffy, and the rest of the gang on the bench for about as long as it would take the audience to watch three and a half Merrie Melodies." Writing for News.com.au, Wenlei Ma gave the film 2.5/5 stars and criticized the film for overtly promoting Warner Bros. IPs, saying: "It's a shame that the cross-promotion was so nauseating and over-the-top because otherwise Space Jam: A New Legacy has a lot of value. It's more entertaining and better paced than the original, the character designs for the opposing team are impressive and it's even used the Looney Tunes characters in a way that stays true to their legacy while also introducing them to a new generation of kids." Alonso Duralde of TheWrap said that the film "barely has jokes for the Looney Tunes, let alone the entire Warner Bros. cast of characters" and wrote: "Viewers who, for whatever reason, love the first Space Jam may well find themselves delighted all over again, but as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to plunge a beloved sports figure into a century's worth of pop culture iconography, A New Legacy is a big fat airball."

Hagan Osborne of FilmInk was more positive about the film, writing: "What is most thrilling about A New Legacy is the liveliness of the worlds created, with each destination carrying with it a varying style of animation that brings with it added freshness." Amy Nicholson of Variety said, "Space Jam: A New Legacy is chaotic, rainbow sprinkle-colored nonsense that, unlike the original, manages to hold together as a movie."

External links

• Official website
• Space Jam: A New Legacy at IMDb