Space Jam: A New Legacy Trivia | 73 facts about the new Looney Tunes film

“Space Jam: A New Legacy” is the new standalone sequel to to 1996’s “Space Jam”. LeBron James stars as a fictionalized version of himself.

Let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new film.

1. Space Jam: A New Legacy is a 2021 American live-action/animated sports comedy film
2. It is directed by Malcolm D. Lee
3. It serves as a standalone sequel based on 1996’s Space Jam
4. It is the first theatrically-released film to feature the Looney Tunes characters since Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
5. The film is also a combination of live-action, traditional hand-drawn animation, and 3D CGI effects
6. The film stars basketball player LeBron James as a fictionalized version of himself
7. 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
8. Set in a shared Warner Bros. virtual space multiverse
9. 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
10. Talks for a Space Jam successor began after the release of the first film, which Joe Pytka would have returned to direct
11. Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone signed on as the animation supervisors
12. But eventually the deal fell through due to Michael Jordan’s refusal to return
13. Several possible spin-offs focusing on other athletes, including Jeff Gordon, Tiger Woods, and Tony Hawk, were also discussed, but never came to fruition
14. After several years of languishing, a LeBron James-led sequel was officially announced in 2014
15. With filming beginning under Terence Nance in June 2019 around Los Angeles
16. After a few weeks into filming, Nance left the project and Lee was hired to replace him in July 2019
17. 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
18. Critics praised the animation, but criticized the story and overuse of Warner Bros. IPs
19. A sequel to Space Jam was planned as early as 1996, shortly after the original film was released in theaters worldwide
20. 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
21. Artist Bob Camp was tasked with designing Berserk-O! and his henchmen
22. Joe Pytka would have returned to direct and Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone signed on as the animation supervisors
23. However, Michael Jordan did not agree to star in a sequel
24. According to Camp, a producer lied to the studio by claiming that Jordan had signed on in order to keep development going
25. Without Jordan involved with the project, Warner Bros. was not interested, and cancelled plans for Space Jam 2
26. The potential sequel reentered development as Spy Jam and was to star Jackie Chan in a different script
27. The studio was also planning a film titled Race Jam which would have starred Jeff Gordon
28. 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
29. Pytka explained how the idea came from an out-of-studio script conference, with people who worked on the original film allegedly involved
30. Producer Ivan Reitman was reportedly in favor of a film which would again star Jordan
31. The follow-up films were ultimately cancelled in favor of Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
32. A film titled Skate Jam was in early development with Tony Hawk in the starring role
33. Plans were underway for production to begin immediately following the release of Looney Tunes: Back in Action
34. They were canceled due to the poor financial performance of said film despite improved critical reception to Space Jam
35. In February 2014, Warner Bros. officially announced development of a sequel that would star LeBron James
36. Charlie Ebersol was set to produce, while Willie Ebersol wrote the script
37. 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”
38. 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
39. By 2016, Justin Lin signed onto the project as director, and co-screenwriter with Andrew Dodge and Alfredo Botello
40. Professional player Kobe Bryant also expressed an interest in directing the film, though he was uninterested in a cameo appearance
41. By August 2018, Lin left the project, and Terence Nance was hired to direct the film
42. In September 2018, Ryan Coogler was announced as a producer for the film. SpringHill Entertainment released a promotional teaser image officially announcing the film
43. With production set to begin in 2019 during the NBA off-season
44. Filming was to take place in California within a 30 mile radius of Los Angeles
45. By April 2019, Coogler and Sev Ohanian were rewriting the script
46. Final screenplay credit would ultimately go to Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Keenan Coogler, Terance Nance, Jesse Gordon, and Celeste Ballard
47. Prior to production, the film received $21.8 million in tax credits as a result of a new tax incentive program from the state
48. Principal photography began on June 25, 2019
49. 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
50. Bradford Young, who was set to serve as cinematographer, also left the project and was replaced by Salvatore Totino
51. 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
52. Production wrapped on September 16, 2019
53. The production spent at total of $183.7 million filming in California, receiving $21.8 million in tax rebates from the state
54. 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
55. 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
56. 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
57. The film’s trailer revealed that Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam will be allowed to appear with their trademark guns in the film
58. 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
59. 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
60. In April 2020, James officially revealed the title and logo of the film, as Space Jam: A New Legacy
61. 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
62. Lucasfilm’s visual effects division Industrial Light & Magic was hired to create the visual effects for Space Jam: A New Legacy
63. This is the second collaboration with the Looney Tunes in using ILM for visual effects since Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
64. In the United States and Canada, Space Jam: A New Legacy was released alongside Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
65. It is projected to gross around $20 million from 3,950 theaters in its opening weekend
66. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 31%
67. Based on 124 reviews
68. With an average rating of 4.8/10
69. The website’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”
70. According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 36 out of 100
71. Based on 35 critics, the film received “generally unfavorable reviews”
72. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A–” on an A+ to F scale
73. This is the same score as the first film