Monthly Archives: May 2020

Geoff Keighley Announces 4-Month Summer Game Fest

Geoff Keighley has revealed Summer Game Fest, an "industry-wide celebration of video games" that will run from May to August 2020 and deliver news, in-game events and playable content. The news was first revealed by Keighley on Twitter, who posted a note outlining his ambitions for the Summer Game Fest project. The Phase 1 lineup for the festival will include news from 2K, Activision, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Blizzard, Bungie, CD Projekt Red, Digital Extremes, EA, PlayStation, Private Division, Riot Games, Square Enix, Steam, Warner Brothers and Xbox. As well as strict news, Keighley's festival will offer "in-game events, playable; content and demos of select titles" as well as a number of announcements that are yet to be revealed. Playable game festivals from Steam and Xbox are expected to arrive soon, and the festival will incorporate panels and interviews with prolific developers and publishers in the games industry. You can check out the Summer Game Fest website here, where you can sign up to be notified when the content schedule goes live. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/03/ign-announces-summer-of-gaming-showcase-for-june"] We at IGN will be running our own Summer of Gaming showcase in June, featuring live broadcasts and on-demand programming featuring IGN's editorial coverage of the work of game developers from around the world. With E3 2020 cancelled, IGN has a suite of programming planned to kick off in early June. It includes publisher presentations with IGN pre- and post-discussions, remote developer interviews, hands-on demos and preview impressions, gameplay, and news segments recapping the biggest announcements. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN who saw one glimpse of Psychonauts 2 in the trailer and has been struggling to compose himself since. Enter the door to his brain via Twitter.

Chris Hemsworth and Joe Russo Break Down Extraction’s Surprising Ending

This interview contains spoilers for the end of Netflix's Extraction, now streaming worldwide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Extraction star Chris Hemsworth, director Sam Hargrave, and writer Joe Russo joined IGN for our latest installment of Watch From Home Theater on May 30, breaking down the film's jaw-dropping action sequences and shedding a little light on our biggest questions about Extraction's purposefully ambiguous ending over the course of the full movie watch-along. Keep reading for everything we learned from Hemsworth, Hargrave and Russo, as well as some additional context for what the ending of Extraction means. If you missed the show, you can watch the video commentary of the movie with Hemsworth, Hargrave, and Russo below (the stream begins at the 27-minute mark, and Hemsworth joins around 1 hour and 7 minutes in): [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/netflixs-extraction-watch-party-w-chris-hemsworth-the-russos-sam-hargrave"]

What does the ending of Extraction mean?

Extraction is an adrenaline-fueled sprint of a movie with a fairly straightforward premise: An emotionally-scarred mercenary with a delightfully action-hero name (Tyler Rake, played with simmering intensity by Hemsworth) is tasked with "extracting" young hostage Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) from a hostile city in which everyone, from gangs of street kids to the cops and military, is out to kill him. The plot mostly unfolds the way you'd expect it to (with a few devious detours), right up until the ending, which sees Tyler managing to get Ovi to safety before he's shot in the neck and seemingly killed by Farhad (Suraj Rikame), a vengeful young criminal Tyler had earlier given a gentle beatdown -- a callback to the opening scene of the movie. While we don't see Tyler's last breaths, it sure looks like a fatal injury, and we see Tyler fall off a bridge and into the water as Ovi is hauled to safety by Tyler's ally, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani). "We show you at the beginning that he's hit by a sniper by a potentially fatal shot, so the whole movie you're watching to see if Rake is going to survive the film or not. That creates tension as you're watching the film because you know where it's going," said Russo. Flash forward 8 months later and an obviously traumatized Ovi is back at school, trying to reacclimate after everything he's been through. In the final scene of the movie, after steeling himself to take a dive in the pool, Ovi resurfaces to find someone watching him - someone who looks suspiciously like Tyler (if a bit blurry and out of focus). This ambiguous ending has left many wondering: is Tyler dead or alive at the end of Extraction?

Is Tyler alive at the end of Extraction?

Russo admitted that the ambiguous ending was designed to allow the audience to make up their own minds about whether Tyler survived or died, but didn't rule out the possibility of a sequel: "What we love about that ending is, you can interpret it any way you want to, which is really, for us, it represents hope for the boy that he’s gonna have a future, you know, that that is the ghost of Rake that’s looking over him - it’s really what it means to him at the end of the movie more so than what it means to the audience. And there’s nothing wrong with ambiguous endings, in fact, they can be quite entertaining and incite a lot of conversation which I always think is the value of a public medium like filmmaking, is that everyone can argue about it and discuss it ad nauseam - but unless there’s a prequel or a sequel, that question won’t be answered." Of watching himself die (or seemingly die) on camera, Hemsworth said, "It's a weird thing, I've got to say. I remember Rush, you know, he dies many years later, and every time that final image of the movie comes up, it always got emotional, but I think, because that was a real guy - not that I knew the guy - but something was heartbreaking about it. It's tricky. Watching yourself, in general, can be a little abrasive, but when it's done right and there's music and all those sorts of things, it's a little easier to get lost in it." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/22/extraction-knife-fight-clip"]

Will Extraction get a sequel?

That prompted the obvious follow-up question of whether there will be an Extraction prequel or sequel, to which Russo and Hemsworth both said, "We don't know," presumably leaving the ball in Netflix's court to greenlight a follow-up of some kind if the movie proves popular enough. Hemsworth said that he liked Russo's take on the ending, joking that he'd have to check his contract to see whether Tyler lived or died: "As Joe said, I love the ambiguity there and the way you could interpret it however you like. I really like what you said there Joe, that it represents the boy’s gonna be okay, whether that’s the ghost of Rake watching over him or something, it represents someone still watching him and taking care of him - I like that version. Whether that's actually him or not, we don’t know." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=extraction-gallery&captions=true"] Either way, Hargrave said he's down to return to the world of Extraction should Netflix order a prequel or sequel to the film. "It’s a hypothetical ... there are so many storylines in this world that Joe built with the script, there’s so many ways it could go. If anything were to happen, it’s really up to finding the best story… and what’s the best thing for the movie and the universe that is growing out of the script that Joe wrote. I am open, I think there’s so many fun possibilities, I’m ready, whatever the next challenge brings, I’ll be there." The plot of Extraction leaves plenty of room for a prequel exploring Tyler Rake's past before he becomes involved in Ovi's story, if Russo and Hemsworth don't want to ever definitively answer the question of who the mystery man is in Extraction's final scene. There's plenty of backstory to mine in Tyler's relationship with David Harbour's duplicitous Gaspar - given that we know Tyler once saved Gaspar's life - as well as Tyler's history with Nik, and we're sure there are plenty of other suicide missions the former SASR operative-turned mercenary could've gotten involved in over the course of his career. Whether we'll get to see any of them - or potentially learn how Tyler survived a seemingly fatal bullet wound - is up to Netflix. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=ab6a0381-e1e2-4d9e-9e24-5b83da8c3607"] For more from our Watch From Home Theater series, find out what we learned from Jonathan Frakes about Star Trek: First Contact, the T-Rex blooper you missed in Jurassic Park courtesy of Joseph Mazzello, how the plot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story evolved with writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz, and insights from 10 Cloverfield Lane with director Dan Trachtenberg and The Invisible Man with director Leigh Whannell, plus read our review of Extraction.

Chris Hemsworth and Joe Russo Break Down Extraction’s Surprising Ending

This interview contains spoilers for the end of Netflix's Extraction, now streaming worldwide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Extraction star Chris Hemsworth, director Sam Hargrave, and writer Joe Russo joined IGN for our latest installment of Watch From Home Theater on May 30, breaking down the film's jaw-dropping action sequences and shedding a little light on our biggest questions about Extraction's purposefully ambiguous ending over the course of the full movie watch-along. Keep reading for everything we learned from Hemsworth, Hargrave and Russo, as well as some additional context for what the ending of Extraction means. If you missed the show, you can watch the video commentary of the movie with Hemsworth, Hargrave, and Russo below (the stream begins at the 27-minute mark, and Hemsworth joins around 1 hour and 7 minutes in): [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/netflixs-extraction-watch-party-w-chris-hemsworth-the-russos-sam-hargrave"]

What does the ending of Extraction mean?

Extraction is an adrenaline-fueled sprint of a movie with a fairly straightforward premise: An emotionally-scarred mercenary with a delightfully action-hero name (Tyler Rake, played with simmering intensity by Hemsworth) is tasked with "extracting" young hostage Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) from a hostile city in which everyone, from gangs of street kids to the cops and military, is out to kill him. The plot mostly unfolds the way you'd expect it to (with a few devious detours), right up until the ending, which sees Tyler managing to get Ovi to safety before he's shot in the neck and seemingly killed by Farhad (Suraj Rikame), a vengeful young criminal Tyler had earlier given a gentle beatdown -- a callback to the opening scene of the movie. While we don't see Tyler's last breaths, it sure looks like a fatal injury, and we see Tyler fall off a bridge and into the water as Ovi is hauled to safety by Tyler's ally, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani). "We show you at the beginning that he's hit by a sniper by a potentially fatal shot, so the whole movie you're watching to see if Rake is going to survive the film or not. That creates tension as you're watching the film because you know where it's going," said Russo. Flash forward 8 months later and an obviously traumatized Ovi is back at school, trying to reacclimate after everything he's been through. In the final scene of the movie, after steeling himself to take a dive in the pool, Ovi resurfaces to find someone watching him - someone who looks suspiciously like Tyler (if a bit blurry and out of focus). This ambiguous ending has left many wondering: is Tyler dead or alive at the end of Extraction?

Is Tyler alive at the end of Extraction?

Russo admitted that the ambiguous ending was designed to allow the audience to make up their own minds about whether Tyler survived or died, but didn't rule out the possibility of a sequel: "What we love about that ending is, you can interpret it any way you want to, which is really, for us, it represents hope for the boy that he’s gonna have a future, you know, that that is the ghost of Rake that’s looking over him - it’s really what it means to him at the end of the movie more so than what it means to the audience. And there’s nothing wrong with ambiguous endings, in fact, they can be quite entertaining and incite a lot of conversation which I always think is the value of a public medium like filmmaking, is that everyone can argue about it and discuss it ad nauseam - but unless there’s a prequel or a sequel, that question won’t be answered." Of watching himself die (or seemingly die) on camera, Hemsworth said, "It's a weird thing, I've got to say. I remember Rush, you know, he dies many years later, and every time that final image of the movie comes up, it always got emotional, but I think, because that was a real guy - not that I knew the guy - but something was heartbreaking about it. It's tricky. Watching yourself, in general, can be a little abrasive, but when it's done right and there's music and all those sorts of things, it's a little easier to get lost in it." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/22/extraction-knife-fight-clip"]

Will Extraction get a sequel?

That prompted the obvious follow-up question of whether there will be an Extraction prequel or sequel, to which Russo and Hemsworth both said, "We don't know," presumably leaving the ball in Netflix's court to greenlight a follow-up of some kind if the movie proves popular enough. Hemsworth said that he liked Russo's take on the ending, joking that he'd have to check his contract to see whether Tyler lived or died: "As Joe said, I love the ambiguity there and the way you could interpret it however you like. I really like what you said there Joe, that it represents the boy’s gonna be okay, whether that’s the ghost of Rake watching over him or something, it represents someone still watching him and taking care of him - I like that version. Whether that's actually him or not, we don’t know." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=extraction-gallery&captions=true"] Either way, Hargrave said he's down to return to the world of Extraction should Netflix order a prequel or sequel to the film. "It’s a hypothetical ... there are so many storylines in this world that Joe built with the script, there’s so many ways it could go. If anything were to happen, it’s really up to finding the best story… and what’s the best thing for the movie and the universe that is growing out of the script that Joe wrote. I am open, I think there’s so many fun possibilities, I’m ready, whatever the next challenge brings, I’ll be there." The plot of Extraction leaves plenty of room for a prequel exploring Tyler Rake's past before he becomes involved in Ovi's story, if Russo and Hemsworth don't want to ever definitively answer the question of who the mystery man is in Extraction's final scene. There's plenty of backstory to mine in Tyler's relationship with David Harbour's duplicitous Gaspar - given that we know Tyler once saved Gaspar's life - as well as Tyler's history with Nik, and we're sure there are plenty of other suicide missions the former SASR operative-turned mercenary could've gotten involved in over the course of his career. Whether we'll get to see any of them - or potentially learn how Tyler survived a seemingly fatal bullet wound - is up to Netflix. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=ab6a0381-e1e2-4d9e-9e24-5b83da8c3607"] For more from our Watch From Home Theater series, find out what we learned from Jonathan Frakes about Star Trek: First Contact, the T-Rex blooper you missed in Jurassic Park courtesy of Joseph Mazzello, how the plot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story evolved with writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz, and insights from 10 Cloverfield Lane with director Dan Trachtenberg and The Invisible Man with director Leigh Whannell, plus read our review of Extraction.

Streets of Rage 4 Has No Online Multiplayer if Bought From GOG.com

PC copies of Streets of Rage 4 purchased from GOG.com do not support online multiplayer, despite being priced the same as the Steam version that does feature online capabilities. The GOG store page for Streets of Rage 4 has a disclaimer stating: “Please note that at this time, the DRM-Free version supports local co-op only with up to 4 players. The 2-player online mode is not available.” While that note claims there is no online mode “at this time”, a tweet from developer Lizardcube suggests that online won’t be coming to the GOG version of the game. “Unfortunately the GOG version of the game won’t be supporting online features,” the studio said in response to a fan asking about cross-play with Steam users. Both the Steam and GOG.com versions of the game are priced at $27.99/£22.49 (currently with a 10% discount), but the Steam version allows players to team up online for PvP Battle Mode fights or co-op play. Multiplayer is available in the GOG version, but only locally. We’ve reached out to Lizardcube for further clarification. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/29/streets-of-rage-4-review"] Streets of Rage 4 is also available on console without these issues, should you be looking for a more straightforward approach to multiplayer. Our Streets of Rage 4 review says it's worth checking out, too, even if it prioritises nostalgia over modern advancements. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Streets of Rage 4 Has No Online Multiplayer if Bought From GOG.com

PC copies of Streets of Rage 4 purchased from GOG.com do not support online multiplayer, despite being priced the same as the Steam version that does feature online capabilities. The GOG store page for Streets of Rage 4 has a disclaimer stating: “Please note that at this time, the DRM-Free version supports local co-op only with up to 4 players. The 2-player online mode is not available.” While that note claims there is no online mode “at this time”, a tweet from developer Lizardcube suggests that online won’t be coming to the GOG version of the game. “Unfortunately the GOG version of the game won’t be supporting online features,” the studio said in response to a fan asking about cross-play with Steam users. Both the Steam and GOG.com versions of the game are priced at $27.99/£22.49 (currently with a 10% discount), but the Steam version allows players to team up online for PvP Battle Mode fights or co-op play. Multiplayer is available in the GOG version, but only locally. We’ve reached out to Lizardcube for further clarification. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/29/streets-of-rage-4-review"] Streets of Rage 4 is also available on console without these issues, should you be looking for a more straightforward approach to multiplayer. Our Streets of Rage 4 review says it's worth checking out, too, even if it prioritises nostalgia over modern advancements. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Phil Spencer: No Delay Expected for Xbox Series X, But Game Production Is ‘Bigger Unknown’

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has reiterated that Xbox Series X isn't currently looking at any kind of launch delay, saying it's "in line with where we thought we would be", but has said that production of games themselves is the "bigger unknown" amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Alley, Spencer made clear that Xbox hardware development was continuing at a somewhat expected pace: "The teams are doing a really good job on keeping our hardware on track. On the hardware side we feel good about our plans. There's obviously some impact to schedules but, overall, I think we're in line with where we thought we would be." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ac-valhallas-big-leap-to-ps5-xbox-series-x-next-gen-console-watch"] However, Spencer made clear that games production is less predictable because of its less centralised creation: "I'd say the bigger unknown is probably the game production, just being honest. Game production is a large-scale entertainment activity now; you have hundreds of people coming together, building assets, working through creative." It's worth noting that Spencer isn't saying that game delays are coming, just that they're harder to predict. "We're learning every day," he continued, "I still feel good about it, but I also need to make sure that the security and safety of the teams is the more important thing and not unduly push when things just aren't ready." Spencer's spoken to IGN previously about this issue, and made clear that a game delay – even to a flagship launch title like Halo: Infinite – would be extremely unlikely to delay the launch of the Series X itself. Analysts have speculated to IGN that, while consoles may not see a delay, they could see launch shortages - recent reports suggested that would indeed be the case for PS5, which could see 'limited' availability in its first year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=9-new-xbox-series-x-images&captions=true"] We've seen some major games delayed due to the current crisis - most notably The Last of Us Part 2, which was initially postponed indefinitely, before being announced for a new June 19 release. We should be seeing some of the initial Series X games for the first time at next week's May 7 Inside Xbox broadcast, which will focus on third-party games. Xbox Series X is scheduled to be released during Holiday 2020. Right now we know the Xbox Series X specs, we have an educated guess on its price based on those specs, and a full comparison with PS5. What we know far less about is Xbox Series X games, but we have a list of confirmed and rumoured titles for the next-gen console. Here's how you can help and stay safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.  

Phil Spencer: No Delay Expected for Xbox Series X, But Game Production Is ‘Bigger Unknown’

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has reiterated that Xbox Series X isn't currently looking at any kind of launch delay, saying it's "in line with where we thought we would be", but has said that production of games themselves is the "bigger unknown" amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Alley, Spencer made clear that Xbox hardware development was continuing at a somewhat expected pace: "The teams are doing a really good job on keeping our hardware on track. On the hardware side we feel good about our plans. There's obviously some impact to schedules but, overall, I think we're in line with where we thought we would be." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ac-valhallas-big-leap-to-ps5-xbox-series-x-next-gen-console-watch"] However, Spencer made clear that games production is less predictable because of its less centralised creation: "I'd say the bigger unknown is probably the game production, just being honest. Game production is a large-scale entertainment activity now; you have hundreds of people coming together, building assets, working through creative." It's worth noting that Spencer isn't saying that game delays are coming, just that they're harder to predict. "We're learning every day," he continued, "I still feel good about it, but I also need to make sure that the security and safety of the teams is the more important thing and not unduly push when things just aren't ready." Spencer's spoken to IGN previously about this issue, and made clear that a game delay – even to a flagship launch title like Halo: Infinite – would be extremely unlikely to delay the launch of the Series X itself. Analysts have speculated to IGN that, while consoles may not see a delay, they could see launch shortages - recent reports suggested that would indeed be the case for PS5, which could see 'limited' availability in its first year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=9-new-xbox-series-x-images&captions=true"] We've seen some major games delayed due to the current crisis - most notably The Last of Us Part 2, which was initially postponed indefinitely, before being announced for a new June 19 release. We should be seeing some of the initial Series X games for the first time at next week's May 7 Inside Xbox broadcast, which will focus on third-party games. Xbox Series X is scheduled to be released during Holiday 2020. Right now we know the Xbox Series X specs, we have an educated guess on its price based on those specs, and a full comparison with PS5. What we know far less about is Xbox Series X games, but we have a list of confirmed and rumoured titles for the next-gen console. Here's how you can help and stay safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.  

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Male and Female Protagonists Are Both Canon

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s narrative director has confirmed that both male and female variants of main character Eivor are considered canon to the storyline. Talking to a fan on Twitter who asked “But who is cannon [sic] the female side or male side”, Ubisoft Montreal narrative director Darby McDevitt replied “Both choices are canon, but we’re not going to spoil how we managed that trick until you play the game.” The question of which gender is canon stems from how Assassin’s Creed Odyssey handled its protagonist; while players had a choice of either male Alexios or female Kassandra, the official tie-in novel was written with Kassandra in the main role, thus establishing her as canon. The key difference between Odyssey’s and Valhalla’s approach is that in Odyssey, Alexios and Kassandra are two different characters; both exist within the world, and the character you don’t pick becomes an NPC. In Valhalla you play the same character, Eivor, but choose if they are male or female. By McDevitt’s comment, it seems like Valhalla will reveal the nuances of its approach to canon when we can finally play it in Holiday 2020. While both characters are canon, it is male Eivor who can be seen in Ubiosft’s marketing artwork and in the trailer. Female Eivor has been shown in screenshots, as well as in a statue that ships with the collector’s edition of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"] Male Eivor is played by Magnus Bruun, and female Eivor is played by Cecilie Stenspil. Both are Danish actors, with Brunn having played Cnut in Viking show The Last Kingdom. For more on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, check out everything we know about the story details and gameplay, as well as our trailer breakdown and 36 facts you should know. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Male and Female Protagonists Are Both Canon

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s narrative director has confirmed that both male and female variants of main character Eivor are considered canon to the storyline. Talking to a fan on Twitter who asked “But who is cannon [sic] the female side or male side”, Ubisoft Montreal narrative director Darby McDevitt replied “Both choices are canon, but we’re not going to spoil how we managed that trick until you play the game.” The question of which gender is canon stems from how Assassin’s Creed Odyssey handled its protagonist; while players had a choice of either male Alexios or female Kassandra, the official tie-in novel was written with Kassandra in the main role, thus establishing her as canon. The key difference between Odyssey’s and Valhalla’s approach is that in Odyssey, Alexios and Kassandra are two different characters; both exist within the world, and the character you don’t pick becomes an NPC. In Valhalla you play the same character, Eivor, but choose if they are male or female. By McDevitt’s comment, it seems like Valhalla will reveal the nuances of its approach to canon when we can finally play it in Holiday 2020. While both characters are canon, it is male Eivor who can be seen in Ubiosft’s marketing artwork and in the trailer. Female Eivor has been shown in screenshots, as well as in a statue that ships with the collector’s edition of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"] Male Eivor is played by Magnus Bruun, and female Eivor is played by Cecilie Stenspil. Both are Danish actors, with Brunn having played Cnut in Viking show The Last Kingdom. For more on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, check out everything we know about the story details and gameplay, as well as our trailer breakdown and 36 facts you should know. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Space Jam 2 Has an Official Title

LeBron James has revealed the official title and logo for Space Jam 2, which appears to be on target to hit theatres in 2021. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, NBA star LeBron James, who is teaming up with the Looney Tunes for more basketball-based hijinks in the forthcoming follow-up, revealed that the title for the next instalment is "Space Jam: A New Legacy." James shared a short video with his 63.6m followers, showing him wearing a black hat emblazoned with the logo for Space Jam: A New Legacy, along with the caption "2021." The official Space Jam Twitter account reposted James' teaser and rebranded its profile to provide a better look at the logo, which pays homage to the original Michael Jordan-starring movie, with a similar circular pattern wrapped around the cosmic-style text. [caption id="attachment_234581" align="alignnone" width="800"]Space Jam 2 A New Legacy Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures[/caption] Warner Bros. currently has Space Jam 2 slated for a July 16, 2021 release date, but they've been trying to get this movie made since 2014. Around this time, the studio announced the sequel would star LeBron James, but it's been slow-moving ever since. Justin Lin came on board as director in 2016 but left the project in 2018. Later that year, Black Panther's Ryan Coogler joined as producer, with Terence Nance hired to direct. The movie started filming on June 25, 2019, but Nance left the project less than a month later, on July 16th, over creative differences. Malcolm D. Lee then replaced him. Meanwhile, Tony Bancroft, one of the directors behind Disney's 1998 Mulan, joined the project as an animator. As progress continues to be made on the animated/live-action mash-up, Space Jam: A New Legacy appears to be on schedule to slam-dunk its 2021 release date despite all of the other shifts, shake-ups, and delays in the film industry recently. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.