The first trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy finally dropped today, with the internet raving over the initial glimpse at the sequel that’s been 25 years in the making. Indeed, fans can’t wait to see LeBron James step into Michael Jordan’s sneakers and team up with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Tune Squad. Well, everyone except Pepé Le Pew, that is, who’s been removed from all further media appearances following an online controversy about him that erupted earlier this year.
A New York Times piece blasted the amorous French skunk for normalizing “rape culture,” something that led to a lot of discussion on the web about the nature of the cartoon character. He won’t be in A New Legacy, then, as it’s now felt that it’s inappropriate to feature Pepé in family-friendly content. And maybe that’s something that fans could accept, if it weren’t for the fact that much more mature and adult characters will be appearing in the film in his place.
New Legacy will expand on the premise of the original and showcase James and his toon buddies travelling through the Warner Bros. multiverse, encountering various familiar faces from across the studio’s library along the way. We get a glimpse at some of them in the trailer, too, and one of the weirdest additions is the Droogs, the gang of thugs from Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
Understandably, a lot of people are not letting this weird discrepancy go and are pointing out how ridiculous the whole situation is, as you can see below:
How it started. How it’s going pic.twitter.com/fCsBK4Tlaw
— Jason (@jasonosia) April 3, 2021
Pepe Le Pew isn't in Space Jam 2 bc of his persistent nature towards women in post episodes……… But they've included the DROOGS from Clockwork Orange where they rape and kill people
Make it make sense https://t.co/Kn6QXvU4sN
— President of The Soup Society (@ConorMouldOk) April 3, 2021
The upcoming Space Jam being set in a world populated by every single Warner Bros brand, resulting in the Clockwork Orange gang watching the Looney Tunes play ball while Pepe Le Pew was removed from the movie for being a sexual deviant is the funniest cinematic nonense right now. pic.twitter.com/5tZejRGeGt
— 🪳 Matt | lavenderroach.bsky.social (@Sleepless_Matt) April 3, 2021
Yooooo. Space Jam pulled Pepe out of the movie. Yet they have the the Droogs characters from one of the most BRUTAL rape scenes in any movie I’ve seen …
Remember kids …. Cancel culture only works when it’s convenient for whatever side it’s working for
— Zach Myers (@ZMyersOfficial) April 3, 2021
Pepe is a cut, but characters who really did rape and hurt people (Clockwork Orange ) makes the cut for Space Jam. While I didn't care that much about his banning. This is messed up.
— JoeyTheRedKangaroo🦘 (@JoeyTheRedKRoo1) April 3, 2021
Pepe Le Pew getting cut out of Space Jam 2 for being problematic while the rapist gang from A Clockwork Orange is still in the movie is kind of the perfect representation of our culture https://t.co/q0wufPDoiS
— alfredosolisfuentes 🇲🇽 (@AlfredoFilmGeek) April 3, 2021
I love that Pepé le Pew can't be in Space Jam 2 but Alex and his Droogs from A Clockwork Orange are in it.
— Shugazi⍼ (@ShugaziWorld) April 3, 2021
Don’t forget that Game of Thrones is referenced a few times in the trailer as well.
Yeah now seeing that Game of Thrones and Clockwork Orange characters are going to be in Space Jam 2, Pepé Le Pew’s absence no longer makes sense.
— HyperTrent (@realhypertrent) April 3, 2021
And Pennywise the Clown is also glimpsed.
https://twitter.com/TheHamez/status/1378387177307058177
Some folks are blasting Warner Bros. over the decision.
A Clockwork Orange being in Space Jam just goes to show you that WB actually has no morals so the removal of Pepe Le Pew only happened because that NYT dipshit got it trending for back-pats
If it got trending to add him back in I bet they’d do it, they don’t care
— Frankie (@thepowerplumber) April 3, 2021
And others are just plain lost over the whole concept of the movie.
I am deeply confused by the new Space Jam movie.
1) Who is this for?
2) Is this Ready Player One?
3) Who is this for?
4) Do the Loony Tunes exist in other HBO shows? Is Tony Soprano going to kill Pepe Le Pew? Is that how they write him out?
5) Who is this for?— The Vault of Lost Ideas (@VaultOfLostIdea) April 3, 2021
The tragic thing is that Pepé being cancelled is depriving the Tune Squad of one of their key players. After all, in 1996’s Space Jam, the skunk’s stink is a major weapon against the MonStars.
Respectfully, without Pepé Le Pew, the Toon Squad wouldn’t have beaten the Monstars, and Michael Jordan would be prisoner of Moron Mountain. #SpaceJam pic.twitter.com/UETuNmhP14
— Peter de la Mancha (@pelotembar) April 3, 2021
Expect Space Jam: A New Legacy – sans Pepé Le Pew but with added Droogs – in theaters and on HBO Max from July 16th.