CAIRO - 17 July 2021: Warner Bros. Pictures all-new animation and live-action hybrid film Space Jam: A New Legacy was released on July 15 across theaters in the Middle East, featuring basketball champion and global icon LeBron James.
The movie, directed by Malcolm D. Lee, takes James and his family on an epic adventure alongside timeless Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny and Lola Bunny, along with other iconic characters, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Gossamer, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Granny, Yosemite Sam, Taz, Elmer Fudd, and of course, Daffy Duck.
A diverse entourage of esteemed talents across the Middle East make up the Arabic voice cast. Egyptian voiceover actor and comedian Hesham El Shazly plays the role of LeBron James, while Lebanese TV presenter and celebrity journalist Raya Abirached stars as Lola Bunny.
Renowned Jordanian voiceover actor Rani El Khatib plays Bugs Bunny.
Abirached, best known for co-hosting the hit TV talent show, Arabs Got Talent, and her own entertainment talk show, Scoop with Raya, stated that she sees herself reflected in the character of Lola, who is depicted in the movie as strong, empowered, and assertive.
On the script, Abirached said that recording in her own dialect is a novel experience for her, as most of the projects she previously dubbed were in Classical Arabic.
She stated that the inclusivity of the script made her feel closer to the character she is portraying.
Like Abirached, El Khatib felt an affinity with his character. He stated , “I never imagined that I would one day play the role of Bugs Bunny. This is a character that I grew up with.”
On the project, El Khatib added, “It’s amazing to be able to talk to the different Arab ethnicities all at once in one movie. It was an amazing approach to dubbing, and I hope everyone adopts this multi-dialect style.”
Space Jam: A New Legacy is the first Warner Bros. film to have an Arabic-dubbed version, bringing on board popular talent from the region who are voicing the most loved characters of all time.
A mashup of the real world and an animated one, the movie shows James and his young son Dom trapped in a digital space by a rogue artificial intelligence (A.I.).
James must get them home safely by leading Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars.
The transformational journey does more than just deliver thrill and laughter as it shines a light on the importance of family and the power of staying true to oneself.
Space Jam: A New Legacy was released in theaters in both the original and the Arabic-dubbed version for audiences across the region on July 15.
ABOUT SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY
Welcome to the Jam! NBA champion and global icon LeBron James goes on an epic adventure alongside timeless Tune Bugs Bunny with the animated/live-action event “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” from director Malcolm D. Lee and an innovative filmmaking team including Ryan Coogler and Maverick Carter. This transformational journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals just how far some parents will go to connect with their kids. When LeBron and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before. It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself. The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their unique talents and surprise even “King” James by playing the game their own way.
James stars alongside Oscar nominee Don Cheadle (the “Avengers” films, “Hotel Rwanda”), Khris Davis (“Judas and the Black Messiah,” TV’s “Atlanta”), Sonequa Martin-Green (TV’s “The Walking Dead,” “Star Trek: Discovery”), newcomer Cedric Joe, Jeff Bergman (“Looney Tunes Cartoons”), Eric Bauza (“Looney Tunes Cartoons”) and Zendaya (upcoming “Dune,” “Malcolm & Marie”).
Lee (“Girls Trip,” “Night School”) directs from a screenplay by Juel Taylor & Tony Rettenmaier & Keenan Coogler & Terence Nance and Jesse Gordon and Celeste Ballard, story by Juel Taylor & Tony Rettenmaier & Keenan Coogler & Terence Nance and Terence Nance, based on “Space Jam,” written by Leo Venvenuti & Steve Rudnick and Timothy Harris & Herschel Weingrod. The film’s producers are Ryan Coogler, LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Duncan Henderson, and the executive producers are Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, Allison Abbate, Jesse Ehrman, Jamal Henderson, Spencer Beighley, Justin Lin, Terence Nance and Ivan Reitman.
The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Salvatore Totino (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”), animation producer Troy Nethercott (“Wonder Park”), production designers Kevin Ishioka (“The Mule”), Akin McKenzie (Netflix’s “When They See Us”) and Clint Wallace (upcoming “Eternals”), editor Bob Ducsay (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Star Wars Episode VIII – The Last Jedi”) and costume designer Melissa Bruning (“Rampage,” “War for the Planet of the Apes”). The music is by Kris Bowers (“Greenbook,” Netflix’s “Bridgerton”).
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a Proximity/The SpringHill Company Production, a Malcolm D. Lee Film, “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It will be released in theaters beginning 15 July 2021.
ABOUT RASAS
RASAS is an independent agency founded in 2010 to answer a critical need for advertisers in the Gulf to “think in Arabic for an Arab consumer”. By bringing to life the wealth and beauty of Arabic eloquence, culture, insights and lingo, we shall ultimately restore the status of Arabic as a flexible, effective and creative language after decades of stagnation.
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