“Don’t Do It. It’s Doomed”
[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]hese days Hollywood is a place where superhero films dominate the box office and the idea of making a sequel to a film that absolutely doesn’t need one somehow sounds like a good idea any major motion picture company. Take Space Jam, for example, the film was released back in 1996, making an astounding $230 million at the box office and ended with no scene that gave audience members the impression that a sequel was needed. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. doesn’t see it that way and has ordered a sequel starring LeBron James.
Back when Space Jam was released Warner Bros. had signed Michael Jordan, a basketball player that the NBA named “the greatest basketball player of all time”. Having someone like Michael Jordan, who was all the hype in the mid-90s like Steph Curry is now, as the main character in a film that involved basketball and Looney Tunes was the best idea anyone could have ever thought of. However, signing LeBron James as the main character in Space Jam 2 isn’t the best choice. Especially because the man has become completely eclipsed by players like Steph Curry and some would even argue Kobe Bryant.
One of the biggest opponents to the idea of a Space Jam sequel is Space Jam‘s very own director, Joe Pytka. Joe Pytka has been an open critic of Warner Bros. decision giving the green light to a Space Jame sequel since the decision was first revealed by The Hollywood Reporter. In a recent interview, Joe Pytka explains why a sequel to Space Jam is a terrible idea.
“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,” explained Joe Pytka. “They all had a persona that complemented the film. There are none around like that now.”
At this point, we can only hope that somehow Warner Bros. and director Justin Lin pull off a miracle of a sequel or they listen to the fans and cancel the film before they’ve wasted too much time and money.
