LeBron James’ ‘Space Jam 2’ Enlists Writers Ryan Coogler (‘Black Panther’) & Sev Ohanian (‘Searching’)

Apr 11, 2019

The long-gestating ‘Space Jam 2’ has enlisted Ryan Coogler and Sev Ohanian to write the screenplay. An earlier draft was from Andrew Dodge (‘Bad Words,’ new ‘TMNT’ reboot). LeBron James, Coogler, and Ohanian are all executive producers.

Coogler is popular for his films ‘Fruitvale Station,’ ‘Creed,’ and three-time Academy Award winner ‘Black Panther.’ Next up is the sequel to ‘Black Panther,’ which he will return to write and direct, filming late this year or early next year.

Ohanian solely wrote ‘My Big Fat Armenian Family’ and co-wrote the acclaimed ‘Searching,’ with Aneesh Chaganty. The two reunited for Chaganty’s follow-up film ‘Run,’ releasing January 24, 2020.

Meanwhile, Terence Nance (‘Random Acts of Flyness’) will direct, while James will lead the film like Michael Jordan did in the original.

The crew members, as of now, include cinematographer Bradford Young (‘Arrival,’ ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’), production designer Kevin Ishioka (‘The 15:17 to Paris,’ ‘The Mule’) and supervising art director Clint Wallace (‘Suicide Squad,’ ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’).

So far, the cast comprises of Lebron James, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Sonequa Martin-Green.

Moreover, some of the character breakdowns are below:

  • Dom (Supporting; age 11-14; Black)
    • Male or female, athletic and bright, Dom is LeBron’s 2nd child. Dom is a young basketball star in the making but is more interest in just being a kid and playing ball for fun. He has a special knack for video games and is desperate to connect with Dad on other things besides basketball, but struggling to find any common ground. Dom has a defiant streak that he/she mostly suppresses. Still it’s there in the subtext of all their interactions with their father. Will the help of the Looney Tunes, Dom and LeBron learn to foster a deeper personal relationship outside if and through their mutual love of the game. MUST HAVE EXCEPTIONAL BASKETBALL SKILLS.
  • Malik (Supporting Male; age 30-39; Black)
    • Malik is LeBron’s business manager, best friend and right-hand man. They grew up together in the same neighborhood and have been best friends since they were kids. Malik can often be found pacing the sidelines of LeBron’s games with his phone glued to his ear, hustling the next great step in LeBron’s career.
  • Darius (Supporting Male; age 17, Black)
    • Darius is LeBron’s oldest son and a star basketball player. Although he and Dom have their differences, he is protective over his little brother. Dom is very close with his dad and has dreams of one day playing in the league alongside LeBron as his teammate.
  • Xosha (Supporting Female; age 7; Black)
    • Xosha is LeBron’s youngest child and the apple of his eye. She loves sitting courtside and keeping track of her dad’s game stats. She is mischievous and often plays practical jokes on her dad. She’s strangely five steps ahead of him.

Martin-Green will play Kamiyah, LeBron’s wife. Kamiyah is the rock of the family and loves her three kids unconditionally. She is often the voice of reason when it comes to LeBron’s relationship with his second child, Dom.

Further, filming will begin on June 17th and is eyeing to wrap August 23rd in California.

Warner Bros. will release 25-year-later sequel on July 16, 2021.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter