Space Jam: A New Legacy will see Lola Bunny living with Wonder Woman’s Amazons, according to director Malcom D. Lee. The new film, a sequel to the iconic 1996 movie that starred Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes cast, will reportedly feature many crossovers with other Warner Bros. franchises, such as DC. Space Jam 2 is scheduled for release in theaters and for streaming on HBO Max on July 16.
Like the original Space Jam, A New Legacy will feature a combination of professional basketball players, Looney Tunes characters, and original human characters. LeBron James will headline the cast, which also includes Don Cheadle as the villainous AI program, Al-G Rhythm, Cedric Joe as James’s fictionalized son, Dom, a cartoon voice cast led by Eric Bauza, and various NBA and WNBA stars, such as Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and Diana Taurasi. The film follows James and Dom as they become embroiled in a virtual reality basketball duel against Al-G Rhythm’s “Goon Squad.”
Space Jam 2 will also feature crossovers with other Warner Bros. franchises, one of which will be particularly relevant for Looney Tunes’ Lola Bunny. Per EW, director Malcom D. Lee has said that Lola begins the story not with the other Tunes, but with the Amazons of Themyscira from Wonder Woman. The DC crossover is part of a broader character rework for Lola, which Lee has said is meant to change her “overly sexualized” depiction in the original Space Jam and focus more on her strength and athletic ability.
The Lola redesign has been somewhat controversial. Some fans have applauded the change, while others have criticized the move for perpetuating an idea that women can’t be both strong and attractive. Lee has stressed that the Lola change was largely motivated by Space Jam: A New Legacy’s status as a kids movie. Most of the other Looney Tunes characters appear visually unchanged, though all have received new 3D models for the movie’s virtual world.
The crossover potential with other Warner Bros. properties is certainly interesting, but its success will depend on how tactfully the references are written. Lola getting some screen time with the Wonder Woman Amazons is a promising idea and one that will hopefully contribute to her character in addition to simply invoking another franchise. Space Jam is inherently a crossover story, and it could quickly get cluttered if too many other familiar faces get thrown into the mix. So far though, Space Jam: A New Legacy looks like a solid successor to a beloved classic.
Source: EW
