Production on “Space Jam 2” was delivered a jolt over the announcement that Terence Nance will be departing as the film’s director due to “different takes on the creative vision,” as reported by Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro.
Taking over for Nance is Malcolm D. Lee, perhaps best known as the director of the Kevin Hart-Tiffany Hadish vehicle “Night School” and “Girls Trip,” which starred Hadish, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith.
The report indicates the parting of ways with Nance, who has long been attached to the “Space Jam 2” project along with Ryan Coogler as producer, was amicable. Warner Bros. simply had a different take than Nance on the aforementioned creative vision for the film.
Pre-production on “Space Jam 2” was mired by a handful of issues, including the studio’s inability to lure top-tier personalities from the world of basketball to the LeBron James-led project. Further, the movie’s script had to undergo a rewrite by Coogler.
Despite the bump in the road due to Nance’s departure, production and filming of “Space Jam 2” is in full swing, with footage being leaked from one of the film’s sets last month.
There is no word that the director change will have any impact on the film’s release, which is slated to premiere on July 16, 2021.
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