Space Jam: A New Legacy hit theatres and HBO Max over the weekend and made a lot of money. However, the feedback for the film that stars LeBron James hasn’t been too kind, and that includes from the original Space Jam director. Joe Pytka recently spoke to TMZ about the remake and said the movie was so boring it took him five separate sessions to complete the two-hour film.
“The truth is that LeBron ain’t Michael,” Pytka said while adding Jordan was the best basketball player and the biggest celebrity in the world at the time Space Jam was released. He also noted Space Jam: A New Legacy is missing a personal connection to James, unlike the Jordan version as it tied the plot to Jordan’s personal life. And as for the supporting cast of Space Jam: A New Legacy, Pytka said he can’t remember one thing Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and others did, while the same can’t be said about the 1996 version which had Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Larry Bird, Muggsy Bouges and Bill Murray. The animation was also criticized as Pytka told TMZ that Bugs Bunny “looked like one of those fluffy dolls you buy at an airport gift shop to bring your kid when your business trip has taken too long.”
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Space Jam: A New Legacy earned nearly $32 million over the weekend, taking the No. 1 spot in the box office. When James learned the news, he tweeted “Hi Haters” to those who have been critical of the film. James was asked to be in a new Space Jam film 15 years ago but wasn’t ready to take on that big of a role.
“I didn’t think I was ready to do anything of that magnitude. I wanted to continue to focus on my game and give it as much as I could,” James said to Entertainment Weekly, adding, “In my younger days, part of my thinking was ‘Space Jam was so good, how can I top this?’ There’s always going to be conversations about LeBron trying to do everything Michael [did]. But I’ve gotten older, and you know who you are. You know what you stand for.”
Space Jam: A New Legacy also stars, Don Cheadle, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Cedric Joe. Gabriel Iglesias and Zendaya voice Speedy Gonzales and Lola Bunny, respectively. Jeff Bergman and Eric Bauza voice the majority of Looney Tunes characters.
