The long-awaited trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy has officially arrived, 25 years after the first Space Jam hit cinemas.
The premise once again sees an NBA superstar – this time LeBron James – teaming up with a host of Looney Tunes characters to face off against a squad of baddies.
In the sequel, James plays a fictionalised version of himself and must triumph at a basketball game to win back his son after they both accidentally get sucked into the Warner "Servererse", where they are confronted by an AI-generated Don evil Cheadle.
The two-and-a-half minute trailer garnered more than five million views within 24 hours, after first being unveiled on Saturday. However, the film won't be released in cinemas and HBO Max until Friday, July 16.
So, while there's still a little bit of a wait until the film hits the big screen, here are four interesting takeaways from the Space Jam: A New Legacy trailer.
There's a 'Looney Tunes' version of LeBron James
Unlike in the first Space Jam, which starred Michael Jordan, the trailer shows a Looney Tunes version of James and the 2D animation is a cartoonishly accurate portrayal of the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player. While Jordan also teamed up with characters from the Looney Tunes gang in the original, and had plenty of interactions with them, he was never given the animated treatment in the film to match his teammates.
Warner Bros characters will make cameos in the film
Blink and you might miss them, but there's a tonne of Warner Bros Easter eggs throughout the trailer. From seeing different planets that are homes to other Warner Bros television and films (such as Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz, The Flintstones and even Metropolis and Gotham City – home to Superman and Batman), there's plenty for fans to be excited about.
At one point, one of the scenes from the basketball court shows a bunch of Warner Bros characters as spectators, such as an agent from The Matrix, Pennywise the Clown from It, characters from A Clockwork Orange and different versions of the Joker.
The Goon Squad is made up of NBA and WNBA stars
In the original, Jordan had to face off against the Monstars, large and muscular monsters who stole talents from NBA players but didn't bear any resemblance to them. However, this time around, the Goon Squad will comprise of a mix of NBA and WNBA players and feature their actual likeness in the film. Some spotted in the trailer include Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Diana Taurasi and Damian Lillard.
What's up with the 'Space Jam 2' soundtrack?
Fans are given a small preview of the soundtrack as a new version of the Space Jam theme song is played in the background of the trailer.
It sounds like a more edgy yet modern take on the 1996 original Space Jam theme song by the Quad City DJ's.
The first film also made a smash hit out of R Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly, which peaked at No 2 on the Billboard 100, so it'll be interesting to see if there's another track that can follow a similar successful path.
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Scoreline
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3
- Agüero 18'
- Kompany 58'
- Silva 65'
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
