Fresh off the success of his performance in "Trainwreck," LeBron James is expanding his foothold in Hollywood. Warner Bros. announced Wednesday that it has a deal with James' production company, a development that opens the door to his involvement in movie, TV and other media projects.
But let's forget about all the rest of this fluff and focus on the thing that matters: A possible -- even likely? -- "Space Jam" sequel.
Yes, James' deal covers a lot of different things and could carry plenty of implications, particularly after his involvement in the Starz drama "Survivor's Remorse" last year.
But Warner Bros. owns Space Jam, and it's all-too-coincidental that just a few days before the announcement, the company filed new trademarks covering basically every kind of Space Jam merchandise you could imagine:
Warner Bros. filed new trademarks for "Space Jam" last month. Today announced deal with LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/WaZ33sXCsY
— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) July 22, 2015
So yeah, it's not a sure thing, but there's a heck of a lot of smoke right now.
Fans, meanwhile, are experiencing strong emotions. Understandable, given that a generation of adults can point to Space Jam as one of the foundational movies of their childhood.
Some people are excited, some people are confused and think the sequel should star Kobe Bryant -- an opinion that is no less than five years past its expiration date.
The vast, vast -- vast -- majority, however, is outraged. A cursory glance through Twitter uncovers hundreds, if not thousands of Chicken Littles worked into a panic that the sky is falling.
@YourManDevine @KDonhoops @YahooBDL I'd kill myself
— Purgatory FC (@ChiTownSpurs) July 22, 2015
Why do we need another Space Jam? Did we need to tarnish Ralph Machio with Jaden Smith in a new Karate Kid film? NO WE DID NOT.
— Shokdiesel (@Shokdiesel) July 22, 2015
i will die the most agonizing death imaginable before i willingly watch lebron tarnish the good name of space jam
— dickie greenleaf (@glynnenkamp) July 22, 2015
Condolences to those people who didn't see this coming.
In reality, the "Space Jam 2" movie could be an even bigger production than the original. Last week, Blake Griffin offered a sneak peek of his new basketball shoe, the Jordan Super Fly 4, which pays homage to Marvin the Martian with a green, red and black design.
Even if Blake's shoes and LeBron's deal aren't directly related, one thing seems clear: Warner Bros. sees the Space Jam franchise as an extremely lucrative opportunity.
So even if a new movie isn't imminent, you have to think it's inevitable.
