As rumors of a sequel coming for the 1996 box office hit movie “Space Jam” circulate online, fans immediately expect Lebron James and Stephen Curry to be the new basketball star to be featured in the film. It seems like this is the right time for a sequel since the movie will be celebrating its 20th year anniversary and Jordan brand is releasing a new collection for the Space Jam shoe series.
Lebron James and Stephen Curry are the number one choice to replace Michael Jordan in the film since both are considered to be the biggest stars in NBA. They both have great contributions in their respective team’s victory and both have great influence in today’s youth.
The first person that the media went to confirm if a sequel will really happen is its original director, Joe Ptyka. According to him, he has already worked with both basketball players, James and Curry, and although both players are good, “they’re not Michael Jordan,” Ptyka shares that for him, there will never be a player that can replace him. He’s like Muhammad Ali who is beyond sport.
The idea was actually already pitched to him a few years ago by Dwight Howard, a representative for Atlanta Hawks, and the director had to turn down the offer as he truly believes it will not work without Michael Jordan. It's just impossible for the movie to have a global appeal if it will not star the NBA all-time superstar.
Another reason why Ptyka believes a “Space Jam” sequel will not work is because it will take two years for an animated movie like it to finish so who knows if Curry and James are still playing then. In addition, "When we did Space Jam, there was a perfect storm of players and ex-players available — Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing," Everyone’s persona complimented the whole movie that made it work. He’s not sure if there is still something like that today.
