SpringHill Entertainment Announces Release Date for 'Space Jam 2' Featuring LeBron James

Space Jam 2 will hit theaters in 2021.

Space Jam 2 will hit theaters on on July, 16, 2021—25 years after the original 1996 hit film featuring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny came out–SpringHill Entertainment announced Thursday.

Lakers star LeBron James and Black Pantherdirector Ryan Coogler are teaming up to create the project. The long-anticipated live action/animated comedy is slated for production during the 2019 NBA offseason. 

July 16, 2021 🎥🏀🥕 #SaveTheDate pic.twitter.com/qV1Tnxuksd

— SpringHill (@makespringhill) February 22, 2019

SpringHill Entertainment announced that the studio was officially taking on the project last September. The film will mark James's first starring movie role since his 2015 appearance in Trainwreck.

While still considered part of the Space Jam franchise, the new film will not be considered a sequel to the original.

🏀 🥕 🎬 pic.twitter.com/Ay6wRaB915

— SpringHill (@makespringhill) September 19, 2018

Last fall, James said that he was excited to team up with Coogler to recreate the iconic basketball movie because he likes how the Black Panther director empowers kids through his films.

"The Space Jam collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie," James said. "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 [Coogler] did that for a lot of people."