The Tune Squad are heading back to the court this summer as Space Jam: A New Legacy finally lands. The much-anticipated sequel to the hit 1996 movie has been 25 years in the making, but now it’s almost here, with LeBron James stepping into Michael Jordan’s sneakers as the latest NBA star to team up with Bugs Bunny and his looney pals. And these character posters reveal the full roster.
The official Twitter account for the film dropped them earlier today and as you can see below, James gets one to himself, though it cuts off his face to make room for Bugs’ ears. The wascally wabbit then features in his own one-sheet, too, proving he’s the real star of the show. The rest, meanwhile, showcase the likes of Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Tweety, Tasmanian Devil and Road Runner.
These posters highlight the squad’s new uniforms, as well as the character designs. They’re all pretty classic, though Lola has been redesigned since her debut appearance in the last movie. Director Malcolm D. Lee has criticized the way the heroine was “very sexualized” in the first film and wanted to steer clear away from that this time around. He’s promised that A New Legacy will focus on Lola’s “athletic prowess” and “leadership skills.”
It’s interesting that Speedy is being promoted as one of the main characters, though, given that he’s courted some controversy before for being a Mexican stereotype. As we all know, Pepé Le Pew being cancelled over accusations that the flirtatious skunk propagates “rape culture” has generated a lot of discussion online, both for and against. You might think that Warner Bros. wouldn’t want to remind everyone of another divisive character, but clearly Speedy (voiced by Gabriel Iglesias) is set to be a big part of the movie.
Space Jam: A New Legacy is due to slam dunk its way into theaters and onto HBO Max this July 16th. We’re still waiting on a trailer, but hopefully that’s coming any day now.