1:04 pm | September 19, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
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Ohm Youngmisuk
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ESPN Staff Writer
- Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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Dave McMenamin
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ESPN Staff Writer
- Cavs and NBA writer for ESPN.com
- Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14 and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09
- Syracuse University graduate
Blown away by his work on Black Panther, LeBron James is teaming up with Ryan Coogler on the long-anticipated next Space Jam movie.
A source confirmed that Coogler will produce the Space Jam project and will be joined by director Terence Nance, whose work includes Random Acts of Flyness and The Oversimplification of Her Beauty.
The story was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
A source told ESPN that James was personally involved in recruiting Coogler. Space Jam will be Coogler’s first project since directing Black Panther — the groundbreaking Marvel movie featuring a black superhero with a predominantly black cast that grossed $1.34 billion worldwide.
James and longtime business partner Maverick Carter have been in talks to get a Space Jam film done for more than five years, waiting for the right situation to come along, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
While the film shares the name with the popular franchise that originally starred Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny in a 1996 box-office smash, a source familiar with the production told McMenamin that the James’ vehicle will not be considered a sequel to the highest-grossing basketball film of all-time.
“I loved his vision,” James told The Hollywood Reporter of the acclaimed Coogler, who also directed Creed and Fruitvale Station. “So for Ryan to be able to bring that to kids, it’s amazing.”
While the premise of the latest installment of Space Jam being discussed is not rooted in the original story, there have been discussions of involving Jordan with his level of involvement still to be determined. Filming is expected to start in the 2019 NBA offseason.
James’ Springhill Entertainment signed a deal in 2015 with Warner Bros. Entertainment, which owns Space Jam.
James, who had a successful supporting acting role in Trainwreck, has reviewed numerous scripts and met with various producers and directors in search of the right project design, according to Windhorst.
James signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers in July, something that should only amplify and better facilitate his business team’s numerous ventures in entertainment.
“The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie,” James told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s so much bigger. I’d just love for kids to understand how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don’t just give up on their dreams. And I think Ryan did that for a lot of people.”
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