The trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy reveals crossovers with all kinds of other WarnerMedia intellectual properties — including HBO’s Game of Thrones. Since the high-fantasy adaptation is one of the studio’s most successful franchises ever, it’s no surprise to see it turning up in the Space Jam pantheon. However, some fans might not have caught all the references in the mile-a-minute trailer.
The new Space Jam 2 trailer briefly explains the conceit of the movie — LeBron James is trapped in some kind of multi-dimensional virtual reality with all of the WarnerMedia intellectual properties called “the ServerVerse.” When he is sucked into this realm, he first passes over one planet made to resemble the Game of Thrones opening credit sequence, with a map labeled “Westeros” on the ground and a ring bearing the show’s logo rotating over it.
The next reference is also pretty straight forward — a CGI dragon flying over the Iron Giant’s shoulder at the 1-minute, 42-second mark. The two-footed dragon is clearly modeled after Drogon from Game of Thrones. Finally, the last reference is the easiest to miss — three White Walkers including the Night King standing on the sidelines of the basketball court at the 2-minute, 23-second mark.
This shot reveals a lot, as the blue zombies are right across from a couple of men in medieval-style armor as well. However, since none of these characters look exactly like their canonical counterparts, it’s hard to say what they are meant to represent out of context.
Regardless, the Space Jam: A New Legacy trailer has lots of fans drawing comparisons to Ready Player One, which was also set in a virtual reality world rife with references to other TV shows and movies. It is clearly leaning into the trend of shared universes and meta-narratives while showing off all the other intellectual properties under Warner Bros. control.
This is a far cry from the first Space Jam back in 1996. It was set in the real-life 1990s, where the Looney Tunes‘ world co-exists with our own. In it, Michael Jordan is drawn into a dispute between the cartoon characters and alien invaders, but no other shows or movies come into play, and no trans-dimensional travel is required.
The trailer has many fans reconsidering their excitement for Space Jam: A New Legacy. However, there is still little doubt that the movie will be a commercial success. It premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, July 16.
