Got Game? China Gets A Space Jam Update

Ever wonder what basketball stars do in their spare time? Treat an armed robber to McDonalds, take naked pictures on their cellphones, get a technicolor neck tattoo. And, in the cases of Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, shoot an overseas Chinese film titled “Amazing.” Way back in August 2010, the NBA and Shanghai Film Group partnered up to film what seems like Space Jam for grown-ups. The end product, Amazing, was slated for release last summer but hopeful fans mourned when the date came and went.However, a Shanghai press conference held on June 15 confirms that the movie has been filmed and is scheduled to open this summer.

There are promotional posters, and even a trailer to prove it.

The synopsis, translated from Chinese movie rating site Mtime.com, is:

“The film Amazing…its goal is to show how several white-collar basketball lovers learn to face temptation in life from playing basketball. In the film, the main character (Huang Xiaoming) is a game tester. While testing a new virtual reality basketball game, he discovers the virtual world is not as simple as he thought as he is accidentally involved in a heart-shaking adventure.”

When you boil down the two plot synopses, Space Jam and Amazing are eerily similar. Both include famous basketball players, a fantasy land (Amazing takes place in a virtual reality gaming world called “The Sixth Sense”), and athletically challenged citizens who are dwarfed by the NBA stars. Amazing gets a boost up since actresses Huang Yi, Li Qin, and Ah-jung Kim are all easier on the eyes than Lola Bunny.

Besides Howard and Anthony, Amazing also stars Scottie Pippen and includes a cameo from Yao Ming. Stay tuned for a premiere date.

For old time's sake, the Space Jam trailer:

Photo: www.photobucket.com, www.gxnews.com.cn