‘Space Jam 2’ Director Justin Lin Offers Update
Fans of Space Jam have been patiently waiting for news on its highly anticipated sequel. Other than announcing that NBA superstar LeBron James would star, Warner Bros. has been slow with progress reports.
However, at the Television Critics Association, director Justin Lin explained the delay and offered an update to SlashFilm.
Director Justin Lin has worked on several of the Fast and Furious films. Source: LA Times
“A lot of times now with these big tentpoles, everybody’s trying to jam a movie in a limited time,” said Lin. “I feel like I’m too old for that. I want to make sure that we do everything right.”
While Lin praises the studio’s support, he admits there are a lot of logistical issues to address on a project like this.
“Warner Brothers has been great. I feel like it’s been very precious. Everybody at the studio’s been calling, ‘Let’s go, let’s go’ and I’m like it’s not right yet,” he said. “To me, the challenge is we have actors who are also professional athletes, so schedule is something that is tough.”
“I’ve been really wanting to push that genre, but to do that you need the right amount of time. So there’s a logistical challenge but also creatively, to do a sequel 20 years later with a new cast and also to be able to, in a relevant way, bring the Looney Tunes back,” said Lin. “That’s very important to me to do it right. I feel I’ve done nine different iterations already and we’re going to keep going, but we’re getting closer every day.”
LeBron James showed off his comedic chops in Trainwreck with Bill Hader. Source: CinemaBlend
One of Lin’s biggest challenges is working around James’ busy schedule.
“He’s not retired. When the first one happened, it was during a strike and Michael Jordan was retired. From what I’ve learned in film, you have to be passionate and when you’re ready, you’ll make it happen,” he said.
As for other casting decisions, the director knows it’s impossible to replace Bill Murray, but feels he’ll have no issues finding a willing comedian.
“There are so many sports and Space Jam fans,” he said. “I run into them and everybody’s volunteering to be in the movie, so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
Space Jam 2 currently doesn’t have a release date.
Source: Comic Book Resources
