The long-gestating ‘Space Jam 2’ has a surprise change in director, as Malcolm D. Lee is replacing Terence Nance (‘Random Acts of Flyness’). The amicable departure was due to creative differences.
D. Lee’s recent films were ‘Night School’ and ‘Girls Trip,’ both from Universal and starring Tiffany Haddish. His directorial debut was ‘The Best Man,’ and he later went on to helm the sequel ‘The Best Man Holiday.’ The third film ‘The Best Man Wedding’ is currently put on-hold.
The cast, so far, comprises of Lebron James, Don Cheadle, 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.
Meanwhile, the screenplay is from Ryan Coogler (‘Black Panther’) and Sev Ohanian (‘Searching’). An earlier draft was from Andrew Dodge (‘Bad Words’).
Additionally, 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’).
Further, filming is currently underway and is eyeing to wrap August 23rd in California.
Warner Bros. will release 25-year-later sequel on July 16, 2021.
Source: Deadline