Steph Curry declined an offer to be in Space Jam 2, making him another star unable to take part in the long-awaited sequel. Curry explained to the New York Times that he couldn’t sign on for the Warner Bros. film because of scheduling conflicts.
“I know LeBron and Ryan Coogler are going to be doing amazing things. It's going to be awesome,” Curry said. “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.”
Curry also mentioned that Oakland native Coogler is a “die-hard” Warriors fan. “He's at every playoff game,” Curry said, adding, “Obviously, that's hard to turn down. The guy does amazing work.”
This news follows the Hollywood Reporter’s April story that revealed James Harden and Kevin Durant would probably not appear in the sequel as well. Still, the film will reportedly have key roles for Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson, as well as WNBA players Diana Taurasi and Nneka Ogwumike.
Sneaker contracts have been a large part of Space Jam 2's difficulties. The Space Jam franchise’s leading brand is Nike, but Curry is under contract with Under Armour until 2024, Harden is a spokesperson for Adidas. While Durant is Nike-affiliated, he has other creative projects he wants to pursue.
The first film included cameos from NBA legends Danny Ainge, Steve Kerr, Alonzo Mourning, Horace Grant, A.C. Green, Scottie Pippen, and more. Space Jam 2 will switch from spending an extensive amount of time with NBA players and focus on LeBron’s family, as well as a teenage boy named Dom who is said to be the second lead.
