Famed tech entrepreneur Elon Musk tweets a meme that proves he really loves Space Jam. Released in 1996 as a vehicle for legendary NBA star Michael Jordan, Space Jam featured famous Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird and others, as they and Jordan tried to win their freedom from space aliens by taking them on in a game of basketball. The aliens attempted to get an advantage against Jordan and his cartoon crew by absorbing the abilities of other NBA stars, including Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing.
Space Jam was a decent sized hit with $90 million in domestic grosses, and it only grew in stature over the years thanks to its popularity on DVD, and also earned a sort of cult status on the internet thanks to its infamously long-lived, now charmingly retro official webpage. Despite the movie’s enduring popularity, especially with basketball fans, efforts to get a sequel off the ground never really gained momentum until 2018, when things started coming together around new star and producer LeBron James. Space Jam 2 has since added Sonequa Martin-Green and Don Cheadle to the cast, along with NBA stars Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, and WNBA star Diana Taurasi. Malcom D. Lee (Girls Trip) has been brought on to direct.
Many folks are indeed excited about Space Jam 2 finally moving forward, but no one is more excited than Musk, who recently took to Twitter to post a meme that declares the original Space Jam to be better than this year’s superhero blockbusters Joker and Avengers: Endgame. See the tweet in the space below:
When it came out in 1996, Space Jam was in fact nominated for no Oscars, but it did win a Grammy for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television for R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.” Needless to say, Musk is in the vast minority when it comes to his feelings about Space Jam relative to Joker and Endgame, two of the biggest hits of 2019. Indeed, both Endgame and Joker are considered legitimate Best Picture contenders, with Joker star Joaquin Phoenix getting buzz as a possible Best Actor nominee.
Oscar nominations are of course beside the point with an entertainment film like Space Jam, and Space Jam 2 figures to be the same kind of popcorn movie that appeals to both basketball fans and Looney Tunes freaks. Musk presumably loves both basketball and Looney Tunes, as he’s clearly the biggest Space Jam fan there ever was. He definitely deserves to get a cameo in the sequel, and no doubt he’ll be willing and able to pay handsomely for the privilege if need be.
More: Space Jam Pitch Meeting: The Air Jordan Commercial Turned Movie
Source: Elon Musk/Twitter
- Space Jam 2 Release Date: 2021-07-16