This morning LeBron James and Warner Brothers announced a partnership between the studio and James’s production company. You would not be remiss in getting excited (or feeling trepidation) about the possibility of an update to Space Jam, staring James and some of his closest NBA friends.
It’s all speculation as of now. SpringHill Entertainment, the company James co-founded with Maverick Carter, already produces television shows and web content, and James has expressed his desire to branch out into the entertainment world. (His largely praised role in Trainwreck is just a start.) “To be able to partner with Warner Bros. will allow me to do some things I’ve always dreamed of,” James said in a statement.
But then, note this:
The trademarks cover just about everything peripheral to a movie besides the actual movie, which isn’t a problem—Warner Brothers already owns that Space Jam trademark.
A Space Jam sequel has been rumored for a while, and a Deadline report from February 2014 went so far as to claim a producer and screenwriter had gotten attached. The report may have been premature—James immediately denied his involvement—but it’s clear that Warner wants to do this. 1990s nostalgia is in full swing, and James is as popular as any American athlete has been since Michael Jordan in his prime.
There is too much money to be made for this not to happen. So, well before anything is official, it’s time to start wildly speculating on which NBA stars ought to appear. Give me your starting five. (I will ban you if you pick Dwight Howard.)