Twenty five years ago, when Space Jam, directed by Joe Pytka, had basketball legend Michael Jordan as the protagonist, it sent fans into a state of frenzy. The storyline was quirky, as it weaved his world of basketball finesse with that of the Looney Tunes universe. The film revolved around Jordan’s life being thrust amid Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs, Daffy, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Tweety and Sylvester, the Tazmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn and Lola Bunny, who was a newcomer back then.
As years later, two of Space Jam: A New Legacy’s trailers, cranked by Malcolm D Lee, released recently, it brought alive an outpour of emotions – nostalgia, comedy and an equally good portion of basketball fandom. Space Jam: A New Legacy seems to be a spin-off of its previous edition, sans Michael Jordan. That said, for aficionados of this franchise, the movie would not pave way to be a letdown, as it has roped in another stellar basketball performer LeBron James to play the central role. This time too, the protagonist will be engulfed by the amusing persona of the iconic cartoon characters.
Like Jordan, LeBron James is also seen portraying what he does best- playing basketball to keep both his family and every animal from the Looney Tunes universe afloat. By the looks of the trailer, it is evident that he is transposed into the world of cartoon characters, after his son goes missing. After further probe, LeBron unravels the mystery of his son’s disappearance, and it is revealed that his little one was abducted by a wicked and unscrupulous internet algorithm.
As the path towards normalcy, laden with love of family and all things surreal become furthermore bleak, the truth is revealed to LeBron layer by layer, as though it is a palimpsest. He is informed that his victory in a match on the D-Day will not only help him redeem his son, but at the same time, it will salvage the Looney Tunes from fading into oblivion and getting erased. It all zeroes down to whether The Toons Squad will be able to triumph over The Goons Squad and mark the flag of victory.
In addition to James, it will also have onboard basketball players such as Klay Thompson, Diana Taurasi, Anthony Davis, Nneka Ogwumike and Damian Lilliard.
The film, like wine, might have only aged in time, but gotten only sweeter over the years. The stand-alone sequel bears testimony to the same, as each scene in the trailer has enthralled the audience and stirred an equally magical potion of their fond memories watching Space Jam. While the premise is new and the protagonist has an altogether different experience to witness, basketball continues to reign supreme, as LeBron James embarks on a heroic journey. Much like the former, which struck a chord among viewers across all age groups, Space Jam: A New Legacy too has a similar pursuit of treating the audience with.
The film released by Warner Bros. Pictures will be released on July 16.
