As a general rule, not a lot is expected of non-actor celebrities who decided to step in front of the camera for occasional acting stints. But LeBron James has proven he can keep up with other actors when it comes to comedy, from a few stints onSaturday Night Liveto a memorable supporting role inTrainwreck. Now, the basketball star is getting ready for the release of his first film as the main lead,Space Jam: A New Legacy. In an interview with AP, the director of the film, Malcolm D. Lee, praised James for his dedication to both the movie and his basketball commitments.
“The thing with LeBron is he’s very professional. I don’t think he realized the magnitude of what being number one on the call sheet meant. He found out. But that didn’t deter him. He had had an injury his first season with the Lakers and was back on the train getting back to greatness. So he made sure that he was up at like 2 or 3 in the morning every day before call getting his basketball workout in and doing what he needed to do to prepare himself to get ready for the season.”
Space Jam: A New Legacyis a sequel/reboot to the originalSpace JamstarringMichael Jordan as a retired basketball starwho teams up with Looney Tunes characters to save the world from an alien invasion. As gimmicky as the premise sounds,Space Jamwent on to become something of a cult classic and is still remembered fondly to this day.
The newSpace Jamfilm replaces Michael Jordan withLeBron James, apart from expanding the cast of animated characters. Along with the Looney Tunes characters, the movie is set to feature a large number of characters belonging to WarnerMedia.
The premise ofSpace Jam: A New Legacyhas also been tweaked to make it more modern. This time around, James finds himself trapped along with his son in a digital world called the “Serververse”, where a rogue A.I. named Al-G Rhythm, played by Don Cheadle,challenges James to a basketball game against his Goon Squad, which are powered-up virtual avatars of professional basketball stars.
And so James and his son are forced to work with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny, and the rest of theirLooney Tunespals to win the match and get back home. According to D. Lee, James was so committed to making the most ofSpaceJam :ANewLegacythat he was willing to be on set all day for the benefit of the rest of the cast and crew.
“He was always ready to be on set and he never really left set. He would stay there all day and be ready for us whenever we needed him. He was a great professional, not just on camera, because he loves to be directed and loves to perform but also to be a motivating force for our extras that were there. He’s just a good example of a leader.”
SpaceJam:ANewLegacystars LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Zendaya, and Sonequa Martin-Green. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on July 16. This story originated atAppNews.com.
