Stephen Curry Passes On Making A Cameo In 'Space Jam 2'

Come on and slam and welcome to the latest disappointing casting update for Space Jam 2. Despite an encouraging number of NBA and WNBA players recently joining the sequel to the beloved 1996 live-action/animation hybrid film, Space Jam 2 was faced with another casting disappointment after NBA superstar Stephen Curry turned down an offer to make a cameo.

The New York Times reports that Stephen Curry turned down an offer to make a cameo in Space Jam 2. While Curry gushed over the film's star and producer LeBron James and producer Ryan Coogler, the six-time NBA All-Star explained that scheduling issues prevented him from making a cameo:

"I know LeBron and [producer] Ryan Coogler are going to be doing amazing things. It's going to be awesome. Part of it was in terms of things that I had going on. It was just the timing, to be honest. Not being able to commit. And I know Ryan really well. We had a lot of conversations about it."

This might be quite a blow for Coogler, an Oakland, California, native who even Curry noticed was a "die-hard" Golden State Warriors fan, Curry's current team. "He's at every playoff game," he said, adding, "Obviously, that's hard to turn down. The guy does amazing work."

While this may be indeed a classic case of scheduling conflicts, Curry's turning down of the cameo comes a few months after reports that star and producer LeBron James was having difficulty recruiting fellow NBA stars to appear in the flick. Reports suggested that superstars such as Curry, James Harden, and Kevin Durant were potentially balking at making an appearance in Space Jam 2, which James planned to shoot during the NBA offseason to better accommodate his fellow basketball stars, due to a sneaker contract rivalry. However, James was recently able to to recruit a healthy roster of NBA and WNBA stars, which bodes well for the sequel to the 1996 sci-fi comedy that saw Michael Jordan team up with the Looney Tunes. The original film managed to gather a crew of NBA legends, though the script for the sequel will reportedly "spend less time" with these sports stars, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Space Jam 2 will reportedly follow James' family and a teenage boy named Dom, who plays the second lead.

Space Jam 2 is slated to arrive on on July 16, 2021.