WIRE Buzz: Danny Boyle still teasing 28 Months Later, WB TV locks in big SDCC slate, more

Today’s WIRE Buzz digs up some old properties and reanimates them — and only one has to do with zombies. But Space Jam certainly feels like it's gunning for new life by this point, right?

First up, however, some proper zombie talk. Danny Boyle’s vow to avoid franchise filmmaking seems to have lasted about a week, as the director is once again talking about a project he’s teased for over a decade. Boyle, who recently jumped ship from Bond 25, gave an interview with The Independent about a third entry in the zombie series started by his film 28 Days Later.

And yes, he’s been talking about it since director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s 28 Weeks Later came out in 2007. Details remain vague, but the gist is the same: "Alex Garland and I have a wonderful idea for the third part," said Boyle. "It's properly good."

While Garland (Annihilation) has graduated to directing his own critically acclaimed sci-fi, Boyle had said he wanted to direct the film anyway. The third film, dubbed 28 Months Later because of course it was, is still a ways away from any kind of movement, but it’s still interesting that Boyle has it at the front of his mind all these years later.

Next up, this year's San Diego Comic-Con will be stuffed with Warner Bros. TV offerings. That means lots and lots of DC superhero shows, in stark contrast to the studio's non-offerings on the film side of things during the iconic con.

According to a release, SDCC will show off four premieres ahead of their TV debut: The CW's Batwoman, Epix's Pennyworth, DC Universe's animated Harley Quinn, and Hulu's long-absent Veronica Mars. All these but the latter will be during the con's preview night on the Wednesday before festivities go into full swing, with Veronica Mars showing off its first episode at its Friday panel.

On the panel front, Batwoman, Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, Pennyworth, and Titans will all make their SDCC debuts, while Arrow and Supernatural make their final SDCC appearances. That's a lot of TV. In fact it's so much TV that it makes it hard to ignore the absence of WB's film side. The DCEU will be completely absent there, with the studio's only appearance focused on Annabelle Comes Home. At least DC Universe seems to be alive enough to warrant panels.

San Diego Comic-Con 2019 runs from July 18 to July 21.

Finally, Space Jam’s sequel is having trouble landing current NBA stars as cameos. The Looney Tunes/basketball mashup revitalized by LeBron James and producer Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) has been greenlit, but the various endorsement deals of NBA stars have prevented them from joining the Nike-focused film. Now it's faced at least one high-profile snub that doesn't have to do with a shoe deal: Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

In an interview with The New York Times, Curry explained that he turned down an appearance in Space Jam 2 simply because he’s got too much on his plate. “I know LeBron and Ryan Coogler are going to be doing amazing things. It’s going to be awesome,” the NBA player said. “Part of it was in terms of things that I had going on. It was just the timing, to be honest. Not being able to commit. And I know Ryan really well. We had a lot of conversations about it.”

As Space Jam 2 will follow LeBron’s family, as well as a child named Dom, there might not be as much room for Sports Illustrated superstars as there was in the first one. Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Muggsy Bogues, and Scottie Pippen were just some of the talented players appearing in Space Jam, but its Terence Nance-directed sequel isn’t currently pulling down equally big names. Without Curry (or Kevin Durant, or James Harden), the film may feel very LeBron-centric — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Space Jam 2 welcomes us to the jam on July 16, 2021.