I didnt know how it could become a movie [but] it did.
Yet, the bold move proved to be a success in the beloved classic,Space Jam.
Fox, and turning down a high-profile NBA players request to make a sequel.
Warner Bros.
We had a tough time getting it together.
Space Jamwasnt the first time Jordan and Bugs had joined forces on the basketball court.
The prolific commercial and music video director initially declined, citing the old-school appearance of Looney Tunes leading man.
We had a tough time getting it together, he recalls.
We fought with Warner Bros. for months, trying to modernize Bugs character for the commercial.
Finally, only months before production, Pytka was brought onboard.
Warner Bros.
So I dont think they realized how complicated the process was.
Theyre going to work with an animated character and an athlete are you serious?
Coming on later than he would have liked, Pytka immediately began crafting the project to his liking.
Remember, Spike got hisfriends to put moneyinto finishingMalcolm Xand the corporation hated the fact that he did that.
The lack of involvement by Lee wasnt the only roadblock the director faced.
I mean, theyre going to work with an animated character and an athlete are you serious?
They just didnt want to do it.
The biggest obstacle was finding someone to play Stan, the lovable dork and human sidekick to Jordan.
Originally, I wanted Michael J.
Fox to play that character.
The studio didnt want him, Pytka explains.
Michael and I played a lot of one-on-one.
He did what Michael does.
We tried to recast him and we couldnt find anyone better, jokes Pytka.
He did as well as he could do.
Serving as the director had its perks, as Pytka would often join in.
Michael and I played a lot of one-on-one, he recalls.
Once, Michael came up and asked, Why are you never on my team?
I said, Because I want to see the ball every once in a while.
I said, Why havent you guys gone after Dennis Rodman?
Because Michael was going back to the Bulls later that year, Pytka says.
He said something about [how] he didnt know whether he could play with Dennis.
You should go after him.
First, Im glad Murray showed up.
Pytkas strategy didnt just help his leading man, it convinced another key player to expand his role.
Yet, according to Pytka, that scene almost never happened.
First, Im glad Murray showed up, he jokes.
Bill only came in for the golf course stuff because he didnt like the idea of working in animation.
I think its ridiculous to try and make a different movie out of it.
By all metrics, whenSpace Jamwas released in November 1996, the film was a smash hit.
In todays Hollywood, those kinds of results would immediately warrant an immediate follow-up.
I think its ridiculous to try and make a different movie out of it, he declares.
I cant see it.
I cant imagine how it could be what that film was.
We will never see another player like him.
He was a transcendent figure, much like Muhammad Ali.
He was beyond his sport.
Plus, I dont want them to make it.
Thats probably the real reason, isnt it?
Then again, sillier ideas have become movies.
Just ask Joe Pytka.
