Original Space Jam Director Says Remake Is “Doomed,” Warns Creators “Don’t Do It”
Joe Pytka, director of the greatest sci-fi/sports crossover movie ever made (Space Jam) doesn’t believe that the upcoming remake based on his movie will work. In a decidedly rough bit of shade directed at the powers at be who are trying to make the movie happen, Pytka said (via The Hollywood Reporter), “Don’t do it. It’s doomed. Michael Jordan was the biggest star on the planet. When we did Space Jam, there was a perfect storm of players and ex-players available — Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing. They all had a persona that complemented the film. There are none around like that now.”
Pytka’s comments could be seen as a sleight against current basketball players and ex-players, though whether he’s right or not is up for debate. While the sport of basketball has changed in more than a few ways, and while the new guard has certainly ushered in a new era of stardom, it’s still possible that the personalities at play here could still serve to make a great movie. One such personality is LeBron James, who performed surprisingly well in Trainwreck, and could very well hold up the Space Jam remake. He is, after all, slated to star in it anyway. Bring in Kobe, Steph Curry, a couple other stars, maybe an appearance by Jordan, and you could find yourself with a decent movie on your hands.
But—and this is a major but—you won’t end up with Space Jam, I don’t think. This, I think, is what Pytka was getting at; you could gather up similar stars and follow most of the same recipe, but you won’t get Space Jam. You may end up with a completely different movie that’s masquerading as Space Jam. Whether that movie will be good or not (thus deciding whether it’s doomed or not) feels like a separate issue. As an unabashed fan of taking my chance to do my dance at the Space Jam, I must say I’m still unsure whether this is a good idea or not. But for all I know, this movie could be just like Bill Murray showing up in the fourth quarter; it’s not for me to throw this game away as a lost cause.
Anyway: where’s that bottle of Secret Stuff? We’re gonna need some of that.
Welcome to the Space Jam.
(via Spinoff)
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