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
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.
