Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
The sequel to the 1996 animated film Space Jam is set for release in 2021 with LeBron James replacing Michael Jordan as the basketball star playing with the Looney Tunes. Nothing is known beyond that, but yesterday Twitter lit up with a "leaked synopsis" posted by Final Space writer and Twitter user @BenMekler.
Mekler's post says that James and his son "get trapped within a world that contains all of Warner Bros.' stories and characters." Facing a villain named Al G played by Don Cheadle, James teams up with Bugs Bunny to rescue his son by "[unraveling] Al G's mysterious plan and [winning] an epic basketball game against digital gamified super-versions of the NBA and WNBA's biggest stars." See it below:
This post has been the sole source for numerous stories about the plot of Space Jam: A New Legacy. The only problem is that Mekler is a very talented Twitter troll, especially when it comes to the film world. His fake and absurd reviews of highly-anticipated movies have found their way into many listicles, enough to warrant an ongoing Twitter thread.
Even further straining the credibility of Mekler's claim is the tweet immediately following the "synopsis." He writes "I had not seen Air Hagrid before today but wow" as a caption on a Photoshopped picture of James playing basketball against the Harry Potter character. Bugs Bunny's legs can be seen courtside.
I had not seen Air Hagrid before today but wow pic.twitter.com/IPPE1mQNVU
— Ben Mekler (@benmekler) October 18, 2020
Warner Bros. has not issued a statement denying the viral story, but if it were true, well-sourced industry publications like Deadline and Variety would likely have confirmed the plot. It's more likely that Mekler has pulled off his best troll yet. Honestly, I'm in awe. We've reached out to Mekler for comment.