'Space Jam 2' with LeBron James tags Justin Lin to direct
LOS ANGELES -- They finally found a suitable heir to step into the Space Jam shoes.
No, we're not talking about LeBron James stepping in for Michael Jordan -- although that's been a rumor for months now. We're talking about Justin Lin stepping in for Joe Pytka.
Lin, who directed Fast & Furious 6 and will drop Star Trek Beyond this summer, is in talks to tackle Space Jam 2 for Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter revealed Monday. And yes, the film really will star once and future Clevelander James.
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The film is indeed in very early development stages, Mashable has confirmed, signaling a will on the part of the studio to revive Space Jam -- the 1996 animation/live action hybrid that made a serviceable $230 million at the global box office and, for whatever reason, went on to become a nostalgia classic.
The project also behooves Warner Bros. to dust off its Looney Tunes characters, which have been fairly dormant in recent years. Despite announcements of plans for a film -- including one that Jenny Slate took a crack at writing -- we've seen precious little of Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Sylvester and the rest of the gang.
It's been almost a year now since James announced a partnership deal with Warner Bros. Entertainment, which sparked off the Space Jam 2 rumors. Which, until now, were just that -- rumors.
With the development wheel beginning to turn and a director attached (as well as Bad Words writer Andrew Dodge), it's looking like King James might really have his sights set on one of His Airness' crowning achievements.
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Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music, gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards, shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.
