Warner Bros. has released the first official trailer for “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 basketball classic that mixed NBA players with Looney Tunes icons.
The film will release theatrically in the United States and on HBO Max on July 16.
This time around, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James replaces NBA legend Michael Jordan as the face of the “Space Jam” franchise. Playing a heightened version of himself, James struggles to bond with his tech-savvy son Dom (Ceyair J. Wright), who dreams of being a video game developer.
In an attempt to steal some of James’ social media followers, a CGI humanoid named Al G Rhythm (Don Cheadle) sucks the father-son duo into a virtual reality called the “Warner 3000 entertainment Server-verse.” With Don being held captive, James must defeat the formidable Goon Squad to save his son and escape the Server-verse. In order to do so, he must reunite the Toon Squad, which includes a banished Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny, Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig, Roadrunner and the rest of the Looney Tunes.
This will be the first theatrically-released film to feature the iconic roster of “Looney Tunes” characters since “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” debuted in 2003. Similar to previous hybrid films, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” will feature a combination of live-action and traditional hand-drawn 2D animation with some CGI effects.
The cast also includes Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green and Cedric Joe. Additionally, many players from the NBA and WNBA are set to make cameo appearances, including Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Diana Taurasi and Nneka Ogwumike.