Black Panther's Director Producing Space Jam Sequel

Ryan Coogler, fresh off the smash success of Black Panther, has been attached to produce the Warner Bros. project Space Jam. The film is set to star LeBron James as a follow-up to the 1996 movie of the same name. That one starred Michael Jordan alongside an animated cast of Looney Tunes characters in a high-stakes basketball tournament.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that the tentative production schedule is set to begin in 2019. Coogler joins director Terence Nance (Random Acts of Flyness). James himself has been attached as the new equivalent of Jordan for quite some time, but this will be his first starring role after debuting in Trainwreck. Coogler is riding high on the success of Black Panther, which quickly became the highest grossing film by a black director.

James said that he was impressed by Black Panther and that as a kid growing up in Ohio, he didn't see any black superheroes. He wants Coogler to bring that same energy to this project.

"I loved his vision," James said. "So for Ryan to be able to bring that to kids, it's amazing. The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie. It's so much bigger. I'd just love for kids to understand how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don't just give up on their dreams. And I think Ryan did that for a lot of people."