Back in 1996, I don’t think anyone could have predicted that Space Jam, a movie inspired by Nike ads featuring Michael Jordan playing basketball with the Looney Tunes characters, would garner such a tremendous following. Yet here we are 25 years later and the Tunes are back facing off in the game of their lives in Space Jam: A New Legacy, only this time instead of Jordan they’ve got L.A. Lakers superstar player LeBron James, and the court is in cyberspace.
During a Space Jam Block Party event at the Mae Grant Playground in Harlem last Friday, The Beat had the chance to chat with Space Jam: A New Legacy director Malcolm D. Lee. No stranger to helming comedies, the new Space Jam is a stark departure from Lee’s past work which includes films such as Girls Trip and Night School. Lee divulged the unique experience of working on Space Jam: A New Legacy and how the film is made for theatrical viewing.
Taimur Dar: You’re no stranger to comedies having directed films like Girls Trip and Night School. With Space Jam: A New Legacy though it’s obviously geared towards a family and younger audience. Did you have to adjust your filmmaking approach in any way?
Malcolm D. Lee: Not really because at the end of the day we’re talking about characters and story and plot. It’s all about setting the right tone. So that’s where I start—setting the right tone and story. I thought the story that we had was a great one. It’s a father/son story [that was] very relatable and completely universal. It was definitely in my wheelhouse, showing an all-American family who happens to black on the big screen and normalizing their lives. I had to make sure [the] music was appropriate and the language was appropriate. No R-rated ad-libbing. The [Looney] Tunes don’t curse anyway. And I didn’t worry about LeBron cursing too much either. It’s all about knowing what genre you’re dealing with and the story you’re trying to tell. Fortunately we had great actors and a really good script.
Lee: We wanted somebody who really embodied the spirit of Lola. And Lola is strong, empowered, takes control, [and] super feminine. Zendaya was almost like a perfect choice because she’s having a moment right now. She’s taking control of her brand and she’s very sure of who she is and what she believes in. She’s a great actress and she’s also very funny. We were lucky to have her.
Dar: On the animation side of things you have Spike Brandt as the animation director for Space Jam: A New Legacy. What was the collaborative experience like working with an animation veteran like Brandt?
Lee: Spike is like the master of all things Looney Tunes. He’s got a great sense of humor. He’s a master at hand drawing. [He] really was one of the keys to my success and the movie’s success because without him, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never had experience doing animation before and thank God he was there by my side to guide things along and also be a great collaborator. It wasn’t like, “It’s gotta be this way or nothing.” He was very open but also super knowledgeable about the craft and the expressions of the Looney Tunes [like] how to squash and stretch. I learned so much under him
Lee: I think it was the era that I was watching them [in] the ’70s and ’80s. There was that earlier style that was a little less “attractive” to me. We came back to the Bugs Bunny and Daffy that I remember. Some of the earlier designs were broader in the smiles and the eyes were bigger. These Tunes resemble the ’70s/’80s. The ones in Space Jam: A New Legacy are the ones that I remember.
Dar: Though we’re still not completely out of the pandemic, things in the U.S. like movie theaters are slowly but surely returning to normal. The communal aspect of the movie-going experience has always been vital, so as a filmmaker what hope do you have for the future of the movie theater experience?
Lee: You hit the nail on the head. I hope that people will feel safe enough to come out because Space Jam: A New Legacy is built around the theatrical experience. That’s what you alluded to—That communal experience that we haven’t gotten to have in almost a year. Films like The Fast and the Furious, Black Widow, and Space Jam are completely worth it. It’s built for the 50 foot screen and surround sound. So I hope people come out and enjoy the movie the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
Space Jam: A New Legacy arrives on Friday, July 16, 2021, in theaters and will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max for 31 days from the theatrical release.
