“Girls Trip” director Malcolm D. Lee will replace Terence Nance as the director of “Space Jam 2,” starring LeBron James at Warner Bros. and SpringHill Entertainment, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
The reason for Nance’s departure was not given.
“Space Jam 2” is the sequel to the Looney Tunes movie that starred Michael Jordan playing basketball alongside Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang. Ryan Coogler is producing, and the film slated is for a July 16, 2021 release.
Don Cheadle recently joined the cast as well, and additional current NBA stars are expected to make cameos, just like in the original film.
Lee last directed “Night School,” starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, which grossed $77.3 million domestically. “Girls Trip” was a box office smash, making $140.5 million globally, and helped launch Haddish to stardom. Previously, Lee worked with Warner Bros. and New Line on “Barbershop: The Next Cut” in 2016.
Prior to Nance taking over as director, Justin Lin was at one point in talks to direct but is now an executive producer. Andrew Dodge (“Bad Words”) wrote the script.
Deadline was first to report the news of Lee replacing Nance.