Flirtatious Pepe Le Pew Removed from Space Jam 2 Roster


Pepe Le Pew being cut off from the new Space Jam film doesn't come off as entirely surprising considering the current climate.
Pepe Le Pew being cut off from the new Space Jam film doesn't come off as entirely surprising considering the current climate.

Pepe Le Pew was a prominent part of the Tune Squad that helped Michael Jordan pull off arguably the biggest upset in sports history back in 1996. However, despite scoring an important 2-point basket in the game, the flirtatious French striped skunk will not be included in the highly-anticipated sequel to Space Jam.

Space Jam: A New Legacy will reportedly be cutting Pepe Le Pew entirely from the movie despite content including him already been shot for the film in 2019.

Pepe Le Pew Loses Chance to Redeem Himself

Space Jam: A New Legacy is the official sequel to the 1996 hit film that featured Michael Jordan and other prominent NBA stars at the time.
Space Jam: A New Legacy is the official sequel to the 1996 hit film that featured Michael Jordan and other prominent NBA stars at the time.

Pepe Le Pew is one of the oldest Looney Tunes around. His origins date all the way back to 1945 and it's safe to say that his antics haven't aged well.

Case in point, his running gag that included the black female cat known as Penelope Pussycat constantly rejecting his often unwanted and unwarranted advances is the perfect example of the kind of behavior that's no longer acceptable these days.

However, this could've been a missed opportunity to educate viewers that Pepe Le Pew's behavior can be changed and that he could redeem himself.

Apparently, the shot content for Pepe Le Pew involved being in a bar. As is always the case with the skunk, he tries to hit on a woman. However, after he kisses the bartender's arm without prompting, the woman slaps him in return and proceeds to humiliate him. After this, Lebron James and Bugs Bunny tell him that what he did was not okay.

In this scenario, Pepe Le Pew also had a restraining order filed against him by none other than Penelope herself.

Judging from the description alone, it would've definitely been an educational moment. In fact, even Graice Santo agrees with this. Although she is a victim of sexual harassment herself, she feels that removing Pepe Le Pew from the Space Jam sequel is a missed chance to educate younger girls and younger boys that what Pepe did and was doing in the past was wrong.

With that said, it would've definitely served the movie better to include the scenario. However, you can't exactly blame the screenwriters for erring on the side of caution.

Space Jam: A New Legacy is set to release on HBO Max, as well as select theaters, on July 16, 2021.


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Ray Ampoloquio

Ray Ampoloquio // Articles: 5844

Ray is a lifelong gamer with a nose for keeping up with the latest news in and out of the gaming industry. When he's not reading, writing, editing, and playing video games, he builds and repairs computers in his spare time. You can find Ray on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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