Space Jam: ‘A New Legacy’ held its world premiere Monday at LA LIVE with no shortage of star power and pizzazz.
Warner Bros. Pictures teamed up with director, Malcolm D. Lee, to create the sequel to the successful “Space Jam” (1996.) This time with LeBron James instead of Michael Jordan, the film focuses on celebrating the importance of family while still upholding one’s own individuality. The theme of “doing you” comes into play as LeBron’s on-screen son, Dom (Cedric Joe), is more interested in engineering video games than shooting hoops. Of course, the classic Looney Tunes are involved as LeBron and Dom get trapped in a place called the “Warner Bros. Serververse” where they must compete in a digital game of basketball in order to be set free into the real world again.
The talented cast includes Don Cheadle, Sonequa Martin-Green, Cedric Joe, Zendaya (Lola Bunny), Ceyair Wright, Harper Leigh Alexander, along with Xosha Roquemore, Anthony Davis, Lil Rel Howery, Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, Candi Milo and Bob Bergen.
Warner Bros. Pictures did not hold back with the budget for the entire activation. From Space Jam: in the Park After Dark which took place at Six Flags earlier this month to the pre-party with a performance by Salt N’ Peppa, Warner Bros. made sure to ignite an enthusiasm surrounding the sequel for kids and adults alike.
With a purple carpet featuring some of the NBA’s hottest players such as Anthony Davis, Chris Bosh and Klay Thompson, fans got a chance to interact with their all-star favorites. G.Eazy who is featured on the track “About That Time” with Dame D.O.L.L.A, P-Lo and White Dave was also in attendance as well as John Legend for his song “Crowd Go Crazy.” The star-studded event also brought out Terry Crews, Angus Cloud, Connie Britton, Raven-Symone, Maddie Ziegler and more celebs who joined in the fun.
The event showcased some of the Space Jam merch such as Looney Tune action figures and even a Space Jam Monopoly game that is already available for purchase in select stores. A mini basketball court was installed for guests to compete for the new XBOX as well as Toon themed carnival games for kids.
The best part was when LeBron, Zendaya and Don Cheadle surprised theatre goers directly before the viewing began. The crowd cheered as they lined up thanking everyone for coming out.
LeBron talked about how happy he was with the finished product and even thanked Warner Bros. for the “liquid” it took to create the film. Hopefully audiences will resonate with the new modern take on the classic 90s film as LeBron has a producing title and is one of several stakeholders who invested in the project. Overall, the film succeeded in creating a technologically advanced universe that kids today can relate to but still maintains the old school feel of the original.
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” opens July 16th, 2021 in theaters everywhere and on HBOMax for 31 days from theatrical release.
