“What in the Matrix hell?”
The trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy is out now, and whatever you think of how the movie looks, there’s one thing everyone can agree on: This thing is full of bonkers cameos, right?
Warner Bros. seems to be taking cues from Ready Player One to turn Space Jam: A New Legacy into the crossover event of the century — at least by volume of references to the studio’s past.
Before A New Legacy star LeBron James even meets his toon teammates, we get a shot of Westeros, as seen in the famous opening of Game of Thrones — complete with the show’s logo, in case there was any confusion.
That’s followed by a nod to the famous scene of Miss Gulch (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Oz’s Wicked Witch) flying through a tornado on her bike in The Wizard of Oz.
Those meddling kids from Scooby-Doo appear several times in the trailer, complete with their Mystery Machine.
Characters from Hanna-Barbera cartoons are splashed throughout the trailer, including the Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Magilla Gorilla, Captain Caveman, and Jabberjaw.
The Iron Giant’s titular robot is seen taking some time off from teaching kids valuable life lessons to attend the big game.
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The Boy Wonder is also taking the day off to enjoy the game in his old-school uniform. It’s good you’re enjoying yourself, Robin, but don’t you have anything more important to do? As a matter of fact...
Mr. Freeze is at the same game! Maybe he and Robin have made up by the time A New Legacy takes place.
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Here’s where things get really weird. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? isn’t exactly a go-to pop culture reference these days, and a character who psychologically tortures her sister seems a little dark for Space Jam.
Okay, wait — here’s where things get really weird. Some of the trailer’s cameos may seem baffling or ill-advised, but none as much as the gang of murderers and rapists from A Clockwork Orange, one of the most controversial major films ever.