Nostalgia-driven sequels are big business these days, and Warner Bros. are hoping that Space Jam: A New Legacy will be able to capitalize on the fond memories that audiences of a certain generation have for the original, especially when the budget is rumored to be as high as $185 million.
The first movie shot to the top of Netflix’s most-watched list when it debuted on the streaming service, proving that it hasn’t lost any of its enduring popularity, but there are still some major question marks surrounding A New Legacy‘s ability to make an impact at the box office. For one thing, once you take off the nostalgia-tinted glasses, you realize that Space Jam isn’t a particularly good film, while the Looney Tunes themselves have seen their cultural relevance fade in the decades since, with their last big screen outing coming in 2003 box office bomb Back in Action.
LeBron James might be Michael Jordan’s heir on the basketball court, and his role in Trainwreck showed that he’s a much better actor, but he doesn’t have the same kind of global cross-cultural appeal that Jordan did. Fans that saw the original in theaters might now be able to take their own kids to see A New Legacy, but the long-awaited sequel is far from a guaranteed success.
In any case, the movie isn’t scheduled to arrive until next July, so it could be a while before we see the first official footage, but James has now revealed the first look at him kitted out in the Tune Squad’s game day uniform, and you can check it out below.
Would it be the Family Reunion without a special surprise?! @mavcarter gives our I Promise families the first ever look at @KingJames in his @spacejammovie ‘A New Legacy’ jersey! 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/XsPYL1dvcU
— LeBron James Family Foundation (@LJFamFoundation) August 18, 2020
A long list of cameos from the Warner Bros. back catalogue have already been confirmed to appear in Space Jam: A New Legacy, but with the sequel arriving almost a quarter of a century after the original, it’ll need to do a lot more than rely on nostalgia and recognizable faces to stand out in what’s shaping up to be the most stacked summer blockbuster season cinema has ever seen.