Warner Bros. Entertainment has released a new trailer for the forthcoming film, Space Jam: A New Legacy. Earlier this week a short teaser surfaced featuring Looney Tunes characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. It mentioned a full-length preview would be released Saturday (April 3).
Well, it has arrived and fans will be excited to see LeBron James’ interactions with Bugs, Daffy, Lola, and the rest of the Tune Squad in the server-verse. The two-and-a-half minute trailer dives directly into the plot, and gives viewers a glimpse of what events will take place within the movie.
After LeBron insists his son Dom (played by Cedric Joe) is going to basketball camp to take a break from gaming, the two take a creepy elevator ride. When it stops at an unusual floor, they land in the server-verse, a digital universe where Al G Rhythm (Don Cheadle) awaits. In order to get his son back, James must play a team of virtual, highly skilled players in a game of basketball. In the Tune World, King James becomes a cartoon character himself and scurries to assemble a team worthy of taking on the elite Goons in an epic matchup like no other.
The sequel’s plot will resemble the original in some ways. But for the most part, each teaser has shown significant differences in the approach to the characters and storytelling. In an Entertainment Weekly cover story, the 4x NBA champion discussed how and when he became comfortable taking on this role.
“When it was brought to us 15 years ago, at that point in time, I didn’t think I was ready to do anything of that magnitude. I wanted to continue to focus on my game, dedicate myself to the offseason, and give to the game as much as I could,” James said. “I felt like I owed it to myself, to the game. When it was brought back, the timing was right for us, and we were able to dive into it. And now we’re months away from the world actually seeing what we were able to create.”
“In my younger days, part of the thinking, besides focusing on the game of basketball, was, ‘Space Jam was so good, how can I top this?’ James continued. “There’s always going to be conversations about LeBron trying to do everything that Michael [did]. So when I was younger, you’d give in to those. But I’ve gotten older, and you know who you are. You know what you believe in, and you know what you stand for. Those type of conversations are going to happen anyway. They don’t really get to you as much as they [would] when you’re younger.”
Space Jam: A New Legacy is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and produced by Ryan Coogler, James and his business partner Maverick Carter. NBA stars Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson will make appearances. The movie hits theaters July 16 and will stream on HBO Max shortly after.
Screenshot via Warner Bros