The first trailer for Space Jam 2 revealed that the movie would contain a much larger cast of characters than the first film, drawing upon the vast array of franchises owned by Warner Bros. There are so many characters hidden in the trailer that it can be difficult to pick them all out, even with repeated viewings and pausings.
The first Space Jam was a reality-warping film, loosely based around a series of popular athleticwear ads teaming Michael Jordan with Bugs Bunny. The film found Jordan recruited to coach the classic Looney Tunes characters in a basketball game being played against a group of aliens called the Monstars, who wanted to enslave the Tunes and force them to work in an intergalactic theme park. The sequel has more personal stakes, with basketball legend LeBron James turning to the Tunes to help him rescue his son from the Server-Verse; a digital realm apparently made up of every movie, cartoon, and television series owned by Warner Bros.
It seems that Space Jam 2 is taking a page from other multiverse spanning films, such as Ready Player One and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Virtually any and every character that one can imagine seems to be in this film somewhere, from classic cartoon characters to popular superheroes. It remains to be seen, however, if LeBron and his allies will be traveling through all the various settings suggested by the trailer, or if the huge cast of characters will just be making cameo appearances at courtside.
The first world LeBron James falls past after being drawn into the Server-Verse is the reality of Game of Thrones. The continent of Westeros (where most of the fantasy series' action took place) is clearly labelled, even before the familiar font of the Game of Thrones logo appears. Several familiar characters from the show appear later on in the trailer, including Khal Drogo, the Night King, and several White Walkers.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a beloved children's book long before it was adapted into one of the most popular family films of all time in 1939. While many creators have built upon and adapted L. Frank Baum's world of Oz since then, the film adaptation starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale is still the best-known vision of Oz in popular culture. The Emerald City is clearly visible as Sir James makes his descent toward the planet of Oz in the Server-Verse, with the vibrant colors fading once he is caught in a twister and carried to a monochromatic Kansas. Later in the trailer, the Wicked Witch of the West and a flying monkey can also be seen among the crowd watching the basketball game.
When Al-G-Rhythm dismisses LeBron James and sends him "to the rejects," a spinner wheel is seen which names off several realms before settling on Tune World - the world of the Looney Tunes. The first setting on the dial is Orbit City. This is the setting of The Jetsons - an animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, which centered around the titular futuristic family.
Another setting on the spinner wheel is for Hogwarts. While this isn't the official name of the world of the Harry Potter films, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the chief setting of most of the movies. It is also a location of note in the Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them spin-off series.
Another setting on the teleportation dial is for Thundera. This was the homeworld of the Thundercats, but it was not the setting of the original Thundercats animated series. Thundera was destroyed in the first episode of Thundercats, requiring the title heroes to flee to the distant world of Third Earth, where most of the series was set. In the 2011 Thundercats reboot, Thundera was the name of the city-state established by the Thundercats on the world of Third-Earth. It is unclear which version is being referred to by the spinner dial. The Thundercat Cheetara also appears in several crowd scenes throughout the trailer, wearing her costume from the original 1980's animated series.
Gotham City is yet another location briefly listed on the teleportation dial that sends LeBron James to the Tune World. The definitive urban hellscape, few who live in Gotham City want to be there. Once noted for its organized crime and crooked police force, Gotham became better known for the various costumed criminals who came to supplant the old mob families. Regardless of who is running the town at any given time, Batman stands ready to defend the decent people of Gotham from the corruption that threatens to envelop it.
Another setting on the teleportation dial is Bedrock. This was Fred Flintstone's hometown and the setting of The Flintstones. Set in a strangely "modern stone age" with television sets and foot-powered cars, the caveman comedy was the longest-running animated series on prime-time television for many years.
The final location on the teleport dial, apart from Tune World, is Themyscira. Also known as Paradise Island, Themyscira is the homeland of the Amazons in the reality of DC Comics and the DCEU. Why it's counted as a separate world from Gotham City is anyone's guess, although it seems likely it may refer to the island as it was imagined in the first DCEU Wonder Woman movie.
Later on in the trailer, LeBron James and Bugs Bunny begin flying among the various worlds of the Server-Verse in a flying saucer that resembles a spinning film reel. The first world they fly past is a monochromatic world with a large tower labeling it as the world of The Maltese Falcon. Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon was the first film directed by legendary director John Huston and is widely considered to be the best film noir detective movie ever made.
The next world Bugs and LeBron fly past appears to be one of the many worlds based on the reality of DC Comics. This planet is uniquely bisected, with one half of the world shrouded in darkness with a prominent Bat-Signal visible, suggesting half this world is home to Batman. Presumably the sunnier, more cheerful side of the planet is meant to be Metropolis; the hometown of Superman.
When putting together a list of people he'd like to recruit to help him save his son, LeBron James makes mention of Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. While the wizard does not appear in the trailer as either Gandalf the Grey or Gandalf the White, the fact that his name is mentioned means the whole of Middle Earth must also be part of the Server-Verse. This is later confirmed by the appearance of several characters from the Lord of the Rings films.
About halfway through the Space Jam 2 trailer, a familiar van becomes visible among the many characters fleeing an unseen monster. The Mystery Machine was the favored transport of the meddling kids making up the Mysteries Inc. gang from Scooby Doo, Where Are You? and its many spin-offs. Scoob and his friends are also visible alongside the Mystery Machine in a later crowd shot.
As the chase scene continues, the "monster" that nearly crushed the Scooby-Doo gang is revealed to be Hogarth - the giant alien robot from The Iron Giant. This seems odd as the Iron Giant Hogarth was a friendly character. Then again, he was also often unaware of the damage he caused and he may have been unaware that he almost stepped on Scooby-Doo and his friends.
As the camera pans away from the Iron Giant, a dragon swoops into view. The dragon then swoops out of view almost too quickly to be seen clearly. This dragon appears to be Smaug, from The Hobbit trilogy of films.
Several classic Hanna-Barbera animated characters can be seen fleeing from the same unseen threat, along with The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and the Scooby-Doo gang. These include Yogi Bear and his friend Boo-Boo Bear, Space Ghost, the Herculoids, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, Captain Caveman, Jabberjaw, Magilla Gorilla, and Peter Potamus.
Straight out of Skull Island, the giant ape who recently co-starred in Godzilla vs. Kong puts in an appearance among the many creatures rushing to see the ultimate basketball game. Kong can also be seen in a later crowd shot, which reveals that he has a special king-sized seat at the back of the arena.
Perhaps the most obscure reference in the Space Jam 2 trailer comes during a scene in which Al-G-Rhythm "woos" at the spectacle that is about to begin. A smiling blonde woman in a bright white dress and thick make-up is seen immediately to his right, clapping enthusiastically. Classic film buffs will recognize this as Bette Davis's character from the 1962 thriller Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?
The same scene also features a humorless man in a black suit and sunglasses. This appears to be one of the Agents from The Matrix series; one of the many non-descript programs masquerading as people whose function was to eliminate those people who were in danger of revealing the truth about the world to the people locked inside the virtual reality known as the Matrix. LeBron also refers to The Matrix earlier in the trailer.
Few thought it was "ice" to see this cool villain again, as few remember Batman and Robin fondly. Nevertheless, Arnold Schwarzenegger's take on the classic Batman villain Mr. Freeze appears to be dressed down and enjoying the game in one crowd shot.
One of the stranger cameos in the trailer is that of Pennywise - the fiendish clown portrayed by Bill Skarsgård in IT and IT: Chapter Two. Pennywise can be seen in the same scene as Mr. Freeze and Al-G-Rhythm, standing behind a flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz.
The Joker from the 1989 Batman movie appears to have a front-row seat for the big game. This may be a clever nod to actor Jack Nicholson; a well-known fan of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, who held season tickets for a courtside chair and famously had it put in his contract for Batman that he did not have to film on days the Lakers had a home game. The Caesar Romero Joker from the 1966 Batman television series can also be seen elsewhere in the trailer.
Two different versions of The Penguin can be viewed in the far-left crowd of one shot; the dapper version played by Burgess Meredith in the 1966 Batman television show and the more rotund and disturbing one played by Danny DeVito in the 1992 movie Batman Returns.
Another 1990s superhero icon can be seen alongside the two Penguins in the aforementioned crowd scene. Even with all the familiar faces on screen in that moment, it's hard for The Mask not to stand out with his bright green face and yellow zoot suit.
The vicious matriarch of the Fratelli criminal family, Mama Fratelli is easily missed. The wicked gangster from The Goonies can briefly be seen behind the Night King and a group of White Walkers on the left side of the screen in one crowd shot near the end of the trailer.
The same crowd shot also reveals a rather unlikely crew watching the basketball game on the right side of the screen. Clad in their trademark black bowlers and white dress clothes, Alex DeLarge and his gang from A Clockwork Orange appear to be enjoying the basketball game from their court-side stand. Presumably they are just killing time until the milk bars open.
Another infamous group of villains can be seen standing alongside the Clockwork Orange gang; several of the War Boys from Mad Max: Fury Road. The servants and soldiers of the cult leader Immortan Joe, the War Boys are generally poor company but seem to be fast friends of the Droogs.
Last, but definitely not least, on the list of characters appearing in the Space Jam 2 trailer, are the Tune Squad; the classic Looney Tunes characters from the original Space Jam, whom LeBron James recruits to save his son. They include Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester Cat, Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, Gossamer Monster, Granny, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, and the Tasmanian Devil.
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April 20, 2021 at 05:00AM
