Space Jam turns 30 this week, and it remains one of the 1990s’ oddest blockbusters: a 1996 American sports comedy directed by Joe Pytka that put Michael Jordan next to Bugs Bunny, with live action and animation sharing the court. The film’s making is just as strange, built around a Nike campaign, a studio reversal and Jordan’s 1995 basketball return.
Bill Murray only came for one scene
Bill Murray’s appearance was in the script from the beginning, but the filmmakers could not book him until filming started. Murray held out until Michael Jordan personally asked him to be in the film. When Joe Pytka showed him the live-action/animation process, Murray then wanted to be in the climactic basketball game as well.
The film began as a Nike ad
Two Super Bowl Nike ads, “Hare Jordan” in 1992 and “Aerospace Jordan” in 1993, paired Michael Jordan with Bugs Bunny. Wieden+Kennedy creative director Jim Riswold conceived “Hare Jordan” after the popularity of Jordan’s ads with Spike Lee’s Mars Blackmon character, and he chose Bugs Bunny because the character was his childhood hero. Directed by Joe Pytka, “Hare Jordan” took six months and a $1 million budget to make.
Warner Bros. first said no
David Falk pitched the idea to several major studios without a story or script. Warner Bros. initially rejected it, then Falk called consumer products division leader Dan Romanelli, surprised the studio would pass on a project with high-selling merchandise potential. The film ultimately came out of a plane meeting between a Nike executive and producer Ivan Reitman.
Jordan could only act as himself
Jordan had been offered movie deals before, but Falk turned them all down because he felt the basketball icon could only act as himself. The project closed when Jordan retired from basketball in 1993, only to be reopened in 1995 when he returned as a basketball player.
The human cast was a tough sell
According to Pytka, most actors did not want to work with an animated character and an athlete. Before Wayne Knight was cast as Stan, the initial choices were Michael J. Fox and Chevy Chase, both rejected by Warner Bros.; Jason Alexander also turned the role down. Nathan Lane said Pytka rejected him for the part because he appeared “too gay.”
Voice actors had no script
The voice actors were not given a screenplay to work with, so they had to ad-lib the characters’ lines. Billy West auditioned after Ivan Reitman heard him on The Howard Stern Show and landed the roles of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Danny DeVito ended up as the only celebrity voice actor in the film, playing Mr. Swackhammer.
Jordan shot in a 360-degree green room
Space Jam was one of the first-ever productions to be shot on a virtual studio. Jordan filmed in a 360-degree green screen room with motion trackers; around him were green-suited NBA players and improv actors from the Groundlings Theatre and School serving as placement identifiers for the animated characters. A CGI background replica of a real-life setting was chroma-keyed in.
Pickup games with NBA stars
During filming in the summer of 1995, Jordan and visiting NBA players such as Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing regularly participated in pickup games with extras and college players. Extra Keith Gibbs noted that Jordan would trash-talk them during play, including taunting opponents after contested shots.
From a $1 million Nike ad to a virtual studio, the making of Space Jam was as unpredictable as a Looney Tunes fast break. Which of these details is your favourite?
Facts from Wikipedia: Space Jam, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.