When it was announced that Justin Lin would direct a LeBron James-starring sequel to the family comedy Space Jam, the reaction was mixed. Some liked the idea, but others thought the original Michael Jordan-Looney Tunes film was best as a standalone and the magic from the original can’t be recaptured. One of those naysayers is Space Jam‘s director, who told the Hollywood Reporter the project was “doomed.”
Joe Pytka, who was behind the camera of the original Space Jam, urged the makers of the sequel to not go forward with production.
“Don’t do it. It’s doomed. Michael Jordan was the biggest star on the planet.”
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Pytka’s point is that LeBron isn’t even the best player in the NBA. He claims the available players at the time for the original Space Jam all fit in the world perfectly. He claims current NBA players couldn’t fit the bill in the same way.
When we did Space Jam, there was a perfect storm of players and ex-players available — Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing,” says Pytka. “They all had a persona that complemented the film. There are none around like that now.”
I’m not sure if that’s true. I’d watch the shit out of a Space Jam sequel starring Steph Curry, Kahwi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Boban Marjanovic (possibly on the Monstars). If we’re being real, the original Space Jam is quite bad, so it’s not like it’s some sacred property that can’t be remade. It seems like the perfect property for a sequel as the concept can be easily lent to today’s day and age. Pytka is 77-year-old and his last feature film was Space Jam, so perhaps he’s bitter he didn’t get the call for a sequel.
