25 years after the release of the original film, Space Jam: A New Legacy is finally here after it was released simultaneously in theatres in the US and through HBO Max this last week. And despite the film only bringing in $53.2 million against its $150 million budget so far, the filmmakers are thinking about a sequel. Could Space Jam 3 feature Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?
We’ve had Michael Jordan and now Lebron James with Space Jam films focused around basketball. But director Malcolm D. Lee thinks a sequel focused on wrestling based on The Rock’s return to the WWE might be a good idea:
“Dwayne Johnson would be an interesting choice. It would be different. I’m not exactly sure what his skillset would be, maybe he goes back to wrestling. That might be interesting.”
Although The Rock has been thrown into just about every sequel recently, it’s easy to see why. The Black Adam actor certainly has the star power to draw in a large crowd.
Malcolm D. Lee‘s pitch for Space Jam 3 does sound like a fun new direction for the franchise. Just imagine seeing the Looney Tunes in a wrestling tournament. Their over-the-top antics seem like a perfect fit for the sport. I can totally see Tweety breaking a chair over Sylvester’s head or Tasmanian Devil wildly spinning around the ring. It works.
Lee did, however, mention that Space Jam 3 isn’t official just yet. That said, he would be interested in returning:
“I never say never. It’s all going to be about whether the fans respond to this positively. But I think the bar has been set so high in terms of the first one with this global iconic superstar in Michael Jordan, and now the same global iconic superstar in LeBron James, who transcends sports. Who is that next person to put into that universe? And then you’ve got to find a script and story that’s good enough to not repeat what’s been done but will capture the spirit of it and keep it going.”
Space Jam: A New Legacy is out now. Sadly, with South African cinemas still closed, we’ll have to wait another week to find out if we’ll be able to see the film on the big screen.