Pepe Le Pew will not return to the Space Jam sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, cutting off a scene that shows the French possum receiving his “punishment”.
Space Jam: a new legacy will no longer climb Pepe Le Pew, robbing fans of the chance to see a filmed scene where the skunk learns an important lesson about consent.
The announced cut of Pepe Le Pew from the Warner Bros. film. came following a The New York Times article that discusses the perpetuation of the rape culture by the cartoon character, as reported by Deadline. However, the decision to cut off the French skunk – and his consent scene with a woman in a cafe (Greice Santo) – was made when Space Jam 2 changed directors in 2019.
Although the aforementioned consent scene is not released as part of the current director Malcolm D. Lee’s vision for the film, a description of the scene has been released. The French skunk would have appeared in “a black and white sequence of Rick’s Cafe in the Casablanca style.” Pepe is a bartender who “starts hitting on a woman (Santo) at the bar”. Pepe uses his typical arm kiss movement, without asking for consent first, causing the woman to pull her arm and “throw Pepe in the chair next to her”. The woman then splashes her drink on Pepe and “slaps him so hard that his chair spins until it is stopped by LeBron James’ hand”.
The source added: “James and Bugs Bunny are looking for Lola, and Pepe knows her whereabouts. Pepe then tells the guys that the cat Penelope has filed a restraining order against him.” James then informs Pepe that “[he] you cannot pick up other songs without your consent. “
Upon hearing that his scene was cut from the Space Jam Afterwards, Santo’s representative stated: “It was a big deal for Greice to be in this film. Even though Pepe is a cartoon character, if someone were to slap a sexual stalker like him, Greice would wish it was her. scene is cut, and it doesn’t have that power to influence the world through the younger generations that will be watching Space Jam 2, so that younger girls and boys know that Pepe’s behavior is unacceptable. “
The official synopsis of Space Jam: a new legacy read,
During a trip to the Warner Bros. studio, NBA star LeBron James and his son accidentally get trapped in a world that contains all Warner Bros. members. ‘stories and characters, under the control of a defective and all-powerful force called Al G. With the help of Bugs Bunny, LeBron must navigate a world never before imagined, full of scenes from iconic films and characters as they go back to Looney Tunes to rescue your lost son. Now, to return home, Lebron and the Tunes must unravel Al G’s mysterious plan and win an epic basketball game against the gamified digital superversions of the NBA and the biggest WNBA stars while the whole world watches.
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Space Jam: a new legacy stars LeBron James, Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green. The film hits theaters and HBO Max on July 16.
Source: Deadline
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