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Dream Team: LeBron James joins the Tune Squad in Space Jam: A New Legacy first look
LeBron James hits the cinematic court, updating a beloved classic — and shooting for the Hollywood A-list.
By Derek Lawrence
March 04, 2021 at 11:03 AM EST
For years LeBron James blocked questions about the most animated — and top secret — moment of his career. But now he's wide open.
"It's one of the biggest games, if not the biggest game, I've ever played in," he says. "The Goon Squad is probably the best team ever assembled in basketball history."
James, 36, is speaking one night in February after casually racking up 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a decisive victory. No offense to the Denver Nuggets, the most recent victim in James and the Los Angeles Lakers' title defense, but the four-time NBA champ is discussing more intimidating circumstances, raising the question: With 16 All-Star appearances, four league MVP awards, and two Olympic gold medals, what adversity has King James not faced? What superteam has he not defeated, what stadium full of booing fans has he not conquered?
Hollywood royalty like Batman and King Kong courtside, for one. Not to mention the Goon Squad's powered-up roster of pros. Enter Space Jam: A New Legacy. James' well-received supporting roles and production empire aside, the film is a pricey test of both the athlete's crossover appeal as a leading man and a changing industry model: It's set to be one of the first event movies to welcome audiences back to theaters this summer, while its box office receipts battle the draw of a simultaneous July 16 streaming release on HBO Max.
"If you say theatrical movie, Space Jam is it," director Malcolm D. Lee insists. If James can overcome those odds, and save himself and his onscreen son from being trapped in the digital world of a rogue A.I. with an uncanny resemblance to Don Cheadle, he can add "A-list movie star" to his lengthy list of achievements.
Credit: Kwaku Alston/Warner Bros.
The Space Jam franchise has been here before. Twenty-five years ago, the original was more than a surprise slam dunk — it was a pop culture juggernaut. Inspired by Nike's "Hare Jordan" ads, the film followed Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes frontman Bugs Bunny as they teamed up with the rest of the Tune Squad to take down the Monstars, a squad of undersized aliens who stole the mojo of Jordan's fellow NBA greats. The result was a win for everyone involved: Warner Bros. scored a $230 million hit, not to mention a billion-dollar merchandise empire; the soundtrack went six times platinum; and Jordan cemented his status as a global icon. "It felt like a real cultural moment," says New Legacy producer Ryan Coogler, who proudly recalls performing the film's track "Hit 'Em High" at his middle school talent show.
Warner Bros. hoped to follow Space Jam with a sequel. But Jordan wasn't interested, and attempts to move forward with other celebrities, such as Jackie Chan and NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, stalled. The studio eventually delivered 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in Action, a commercial failure that halted any future big-screen adventures for Bugs & Co. That is, until a new potential star emerged.
Ever since James was a teenager, landing the cover of Sports Illustrated at 17, he's heard the Jordan comparisons, from the similar on-court dominance to the shared jersey number, 23. "Michael Jordan transcended sports," says Lee, who, like his cousin Spike (who allegedly was approached for a script polish on original Space Jam), is a die-hard fan of Jordan's favorite '90s punching bag, the New York Knicks. "LeBron is arguably in that category. Now, there's probably no LeBron without Jordan, and I'm sure he would admit that. But he's a once-in-a-generation player. I love who LeBron is as a man, as an athlete, as an activist."
That last bit is where James has carved out a unique legacy. While Jordan famously let his game do the talking — once joking, "Republicans buy sneakers too" — ahead of last year's election, James cofounded More Than a Vote, an organization that pushed to increase voter registration in the Black community. In 2018, through the LeBron James Family Foundation, he opened the I Promise School in his hometown, Akron, Ohio. "I understand how difficult it is for someone to get out [of] where I come from," says James. "These kids have the same aspirations I had, and the only difference at times is someone believing in them." As his longtime friend and business manager, Maverick Carter knows firsthand what makes James a true King: "The greatest thing he does is empower others, including myself, to achieve their dreams."
Growing up in the Midwest in the '90s, it was impossible for James to not aspire to be the next MJ, which made Jordan's team-up with the Tunes "a big part of my childhood," he says. He was intrigued when first approached to star in a new Space Jam 15 years ago, but like the great assist man he is, he passed. "I didn't think I was ready to do anything of that magnitude," James admits. "I wanted to continue to focus on my game and give it as much as I could."
While doing that, he also expanded his footprint as a businessman and media mogul. In 2007, he hosted Saturday Night Live with charming ease; two years later, he appeared on Entourage; and in 2013 he launched his own production company, SpringHill Entertainment, with Carter, backing Starz's basketball dramedy Survivor's Remorse and hosting HBO's talk show The Shop.
The game changer in terms of acting, though, came when Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow cast James in 2015's Trainwreck. Imagine the classic rom-com best friend, only as a goofily earnest (and comically thrifty) version of LeBron James. "Amy wrote LeBron into the script almost as a joke, because he was the dream person we thought we'd never get," Apatow says. "Bill Hader said he was really funny and a great guy when he hosted SNL. One weekend, Bill and I took him to lunch and pitched him the idea for his character. He got it immediately. I thought if he wasn't funny we could get something out of him, but then he shows up and his acting is very strong and he has this hilarious take on how he wants todo it. He's funny from take 1."
After his movie break, James felt ready to step into Jordan's famous shoes, and years of rumors (often fueled by James on social media) started becoming a reality. SpringHill signed a production deal with Warner Bros. in 2015; a year later, New Legacy was officially a go. "In my younger days, part of my thinking was 'Space Jam was so good, how can I top this?' " James says. "There's always going to be conversations about LeBron trying to do everything Michael [did]. But I've gotten older, and you know who you are. You know what you stand for."
Credit: Justin Lubin/Warner Bros.
In a twist of fate, the project truly came into form thanks to Michael Jordan — but not the one you think. Michael B. Jordan introduced Coogler, his Fruitvale Station director, to Carter in 2014, and a friendship developed. That led to Carter making a perfectly timed call just as Coogler was wrapping Black Panther and initiating his new production company, Proximity. Lee (Girls Trip) would later sign on as director. According to Coogler, whose brother Keenan is one of New Legacy's screenwriters, the project's long gestation period gave them time to find their own take. "The general idea was the examination of Black fatherhood and how fatherhood could be unique to LeBron James specifically," he says. James, a father of three, adds, "There are parents who want to push their kids to do certain things because this is what they do, but sometimes you have to look into a kid and be able to have an open mind and ear to help them become the thing they've dreamed of."
I'm waiting for Bron to do this to Daffy Duck:
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I hope this is a amazing movie 