Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, because today, the world was treated to the news we’ve all been waiting for.
The sequel to the classic Michael Jordan - Bugs Bunny team-up Space Jam has been officially announced.
The first film which arrived 22 years ago in 1996, was responsible for a whole generation failing in love with basketball - not just in the USA but projecting the sport further onto the global stage - balancing the tone between family friendly fare and targeting the sports fan’s interest by throwing a host of contemporary basketball stars at the screen.
A galaxy of the then-basketball elite featured alongside Chicago Bulls legend and dynasty-creating Jordan; Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Larry Johnson, and Muggsy Bogues the players who were unfortunate to have their powers stolen by the ‘Monstars’ under the control of the devilish Swackhammer - voiced by Danny DeVito - who planned to capture the Looney Tunes to perform at his intergalactic theme park Moron Mountain.
Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird also provided a cameo but undeniably the main attraction was witnessing Jordan construct a team of Looney Toon Galacticos - including Daffy Duck, Sylvester & Tweety Pie, and Yosemite Sam - to fight for their, and eventually his, freedom.
For years the sequel was in production purgatory with Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant initially meant to be the b-ball star to follow in Jordan’s monumental footsteps to get ‘tooned up’; the only player for a number of years who could claim to be of Jordan’s calibre and have the important recognisability factor in an attempt to emulate Space Jam’s £230million global haul.
However, now it is King James - inarguably the most recognisable American athlete in the world - who will be taking to the court.
Small-forward LeBron - who signed for the Lakers from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the off-season - teased an Instagram picture officially announcing Space Jam 2, available to view below.
For the film aficionado who may retain a slight slither of cynicism may be buoyed by the contribution of Ryan Coogler, who will be producing the picture.
The Black Panther director has built up a strong following through a superb repertoire that not only includes the aforementioned Marvel film, but also the powerful Fruitvale Station and the brilliant boxing film added to the 'Rocky' cannon in Creed.
Whether his regular collaborator, the actor Michael B. Jordan, will appear will become apparent as the film heads into production. Plot details will inevitably be revealed over the coming years, with the film due out in 2021 and directed by Terence Nance.
Bugs Bunny will be playing Point-Guard.
