If you are one of the millions left without closure by the ending of 1996’s Space Jam but feel Michael Jordan is too old and looks too much like Hitler to pull off a believable second chapter in the interplanetary saga, we have good news — According to Daniel Mayberry of The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant is finalizing a deal to star in a major Warner Bros. film.
The film, which has a basketball subplot, has not yet been named, but it’s scheduled to go into production in mid-September, according to sources.
Filming location for the feature-length picture has been narrowed to Oklahoma City and Baton Rouge, La.
Neither Durant nor his representatives could be reached for comment.
Translation:
Everybody get up it’s time to slam now
We got a real jam goin’ down
Welcome to the Space Jam
And I’m going to add “here’s your chance, do your dance at the Space Jam”. Of course, there’s no confirmation that Durant will be dunking on Foghorn Leghorn (with a subplot of symbolic, racial comeuppance) but movies with a “basketball subplot” are almost exclusively bad. Hoosiers was pretty good, but for every inspirational teacher movie you get Kevin Bacon in Africa, Lil Bow Wow in a pair of magic shoes or a slam dunking Ernest. People like to go to Love and Basketball as an example of how to do it right, but that’s a pretty strong indication of how bad they can be.
No matter what happens (worst case Kevin Durant falls in love with a bebopping Julia Stiles, best case he falls in love with Lola Bunny), starring in movies is a better way to spend your lockout than cutting terrible rap albums and shilling hammers at the Home Depot.
[h/t to Tom Ziller]
