The long-awaited first trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy has landed – watch it below.
The new film, out in July, will see basketball star LeBron James teaming up with Bugs Bunny in a sequel to the classic 1997 film.
In the new trailer, which features a sneaky Game of Thrones reference, James gets trapped in a digital landscape by evil algorithm AI G Rhythm (Don Cheadle), and must lead the Looney Tunes in a basketball game against a team of AIs.
A synopsis for Space Jam: A New Legacy reads: “This transformational journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals just how far some parents will go to connect with their kids. When LeBron and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitised champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before.
“It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself. The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their unique talents and surprise even “King” James by playing the game their own way.”
Watch it below.
Space Jam: A New Legacy is set to be released in the US on July 16, while a UK release is yet to be confirmed. The film will see LeBron James replacing Michael Jordan as the star.
Back in January, James shared a first teaser of the new film. Don Cheadle is rumoured to be appearing in the new film with James, while the likes of Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Diana Taurasi and Anthony Davis are all reportedly set to feature.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in September 2018, James expressed his excitement about the movie.
“The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” James told the publication. “It’s so much bigger.
“I’d just love for kids to understand how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don’t just give up on their dreams. And I think Ryan [Coogler] did that for a lot of people [with Black Panther].”
Last month, Space Jam director Malcolm D Lee has promised that Lola Bunny will not be “sexualised” in the film’s forthcoming sequel. The character’s image in the 1996 movie saw her feminine attributes “pumped up” according to animator Tony Cervone at the time.
One character who won’t be returning for the new film, though, is Pepe Le Pew, who has been removed from the cast amid controversy after New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow said in an article that Le Pew “normalised rape culture”. However, the removal is not believed to be connected to Blow’s remarks.
