New 'Space Jam' to be produced by 'Black Panther' director and now we can't wait

Everybody get up, the Space Jam sequel is suddenly stacked.

With no casting beyond LeBron James and Bugs Bunny, the upcoming sports-comedy-cartoon followup will now be produced by Ryan Coogler. Terence Nance (Random Acts of Flyness) will direct.

The addition of Coogler has fans buzzing, since as a director he is known for more serious fare – even Black Panther, a superhero blockbuster, was layered with sociopolitical nuance. Nance, whose main directing credit is the experimental film The Oversimplification of Her Beauty, is an interesting and intriguing choice to direct.

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“I loved his vision [for Black Panther],” James told The Hollywood Reporter. "So for Ryan to be able to bring that to kids, it’s amazing.”

That means we're looking at a Space Jam that may depart significantly from its predecessor in tone (like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, but opposite). This is the first headlining role in a movie for James, who played himself as a confidant for Bill Hader's character in Trainwreck (2015).

The original 1996 Space Jam told the story of a retired Michael Jordan (he tries baseball instead), who ends up in the world of the Looney Tunes, when they enlist his help for a life-or-death basketball tournament against a nefarious group of aliens who call themselves the Monstars. The Monstars, in turn, cheat by stealing talent from the NBA legends of the day. The movie is a g.d. masterpiece.

The Space Jam sequel does not yet have a release date.