It has been confirmed that LeBron James’Space Jam 2will film in the state of California. The highly anticipated sequel is one of fifteen projects that will receive a large tax break for filming in the state. It was announced back in September of this year thatSpace Jam 2was officially moving forward withBlack Pantherdirector Ryan Coogler on board to produce, Terence Nance directing, and LeBron James starring alongside Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes. Filming is expected to begin this summer.
Space Jam 2is taking part in Program 2.0, which has a goal of bringing more production jobs and revenue to California. Program 2.0 “will also employ an estimated 2,300 crew, 750 cast and 28,000 extras/stand-ins over a combined 554 shoot days,” just in the latest fifteen movies that are filming in the state.Space Jam 2will reportedly bring in “$100 million in qualified spending,” on its own, which includes nearly $43.2 million in “below-the-line wages.” It also helps that Los Angeles is the new home ofLeBron James.
California is looking to get some of the major studios back to filming in the state by offering the tax breaks that other states, including Georgia and Louisiana have been doing for years. Marvel Studios has been using Atlanta, receiving a nice tax break, but the studio branched out anddid the bulk of Captain Marvel’s filming in and around the Los Angeles area. With California now offering the tax breaks, we could end up seeing a lot more big studios utilizing the state once more, which would be great for California’s economy.
While it’s cool to know thatSpace Jam 2is going to result in a lot of California jobs, fans are still waiting to hear ifMichael Jordan is going to reprise his rolefrom the first installment. The same can be said for Bill Murray as well. Producer Michael Carter spoke about Jordan’s return when the sequel was officially announced, and basically said that Jordan does whatever he wants, so if he wants to be in the sequel, he will be. Carter further noted that Jordan and LeBron James aren’t sitting around talking aboutSpace Jam 2, which is a shame. However, that doesn’t mean that he won’t come on to make a cameo appearance.
The firstSpace Jammovieoriginated from two Nike commercials, one of which aired during Super Bowl XXVI. The Nike commercials paired Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny together and they were instant hits, which gave Warner Bros. the idea of a feature length project. While the movie didn’t look like the most successful idea on paper, it went on to be a smash at the box office and cultural phenomenon. The movie is still talked about today, which means that LeBron James could have a hit movie on his hands whenSpace Jam 2hits theaters.The Hollywood Reporterwas the first to announce thatSpace Jam 2is filming in California.
