Space Jam saw the Looney Tunes teaming up with NBA legend Michael Jordan, and while the film didn’t do well with critics, it’s one of the most beloved films of the 1990s. It’s not surprising, then, that a sequel was considered not long after, but Michael Jordan wasn’t up for another match between Bugs Bunny and friends and more alien creatures. Back in 1996, Warner Bros. brought together some of the most popular figures in pop culture, all from very different categories: the Looney Tunes, Michael Jordan, and Bill Murray.
Directed by Joe Pytka, Space Jam is a live-action/animated sports comedy that tells a fictionalized version of what happened between Michael Jordan’s initial retirement from the NBA in 1993 and his return in 1995. After attempting to build a career in baseball, Jordan is recruited by the Looney Tunes to help them in a basketball match against the Monstars, who work for Mr. Swackhammer (Danny DeVito), the ruthless owner of an intergalactic amusement park called Moron Mountain and who wants to enslave the Looney Tunes as his newest attractions.
Space Jam was a big box-office success, becoming the highest-grossing basketball film of all time and boosting Michael Jordan’s popularity even more. The studio began working on a sequel the following year, but Michael Jordan passed on it – and here’s why.
Space Jam: Michael Jordan Didn’t Agree to Return For A Sequel
Space Jam 2 was in development not long after the first film was released. The plan for it was to have yet another basketball competition between the Looney Tunes and a new villain: Berserk-O! who would have banished Bugs Bunny and company to Earth. However, Michael Jordan didn’t agree to return for a second Space Jam film, and according to artist Bob Camp, a producer lied to design artists about Jordan’s return in order to keep development going. The project was eventually cancelled, but it was picked up years later, with LeBron James now as lead.
While Jordan hasn’t really explained why he decided to leave the Looney Tunes behind, it’s very likely it was so he could focus on the revival of his basketball career. Jordan was officially back in the NBA in March 1995, and he went on to win the NBA Finals three times in a row with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan retired again in 1999 and returned in 2000 as part owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards, and then returned as player with his new team in 2001. This second comeback wasn’t as successful as the previous one, and by then, plans for a second Space Jam film were more than over.
Jordan officially retired in 2003, but continues to be involved in basketball one way or another. Whether Jordan will have a cameo in the upcoming Space Jam 2 or not is unknown, but looking back, him not coming back for a sequel in the 1990s was for the best, as he was able to focus on his basketball career (and that went very well) and Space Jam wasn’t tainted by a sequel that probably wouldn’t have lived up to the first film’s popularity and impact.
