If you grew up in the 1990s and had any access to a VHS player and a television, you’ve probably watched Space Jam more times than you can count. Now that the film is available for streaming on Netflix, it seems to be attracting plenty of attention from both new viewers and us 90s kids chasing down some nostalgia, ensuring that tons of people will be caught up and ready for its long-awaited sequel Space Jam 2.
The popular family flick, which has remained comfortably seated in the streaming platform’s “Top 10” list over the weekend, tells the story of famous basketball player Michael Jordan’s retirement from the sport when he decides he’d like to pursue a career in baseball. When some no-good animated aliens come to Earth and steal away the powers of some of the best basketball players around though, it’s up to the Looney Toons heroes to team up with Jordan and take the invaders down.
Space Jam 2 plot details are scarce so far, but the film will aim to tell a modern story set in the same world as the original. Taking over as the new lead will be the Lakers’ LeBron James, thought to be the greatest basketball player of all time by many fans of the sport.
The Looney Toons cast is certainly returning as well alongside supporting actors Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green, but what might surprise many is that characters from other completely unexpected WB properties may cameo, too, such as Jim Carrey’s titular character from The Mask and even Pennywise from Stephen King’s IT. It’s hard to imagine how the latter would fit into what is expected to be another fun family romp, but stranger things have happened.
Space Jam 2 wrapped up production in September of 2019 and is scheduled to release on July 16th, 2021.