Space Jam: A New Legacy‘s Malcolm D. Lee had nothing but praise for LeBron James after their time working together. The filmmaker talked to the Associated Press about the upcoming blockbuster. Lee complimented the NBA star’s commitment to professionalism as one of his best qualities. That first season in Los Angeles was a big adjustment for James and so was headlining a movie like this. If you’re first on the call sheet, it’s a lot like being the All-Star on your team. You set the tempo for each day on the project, and it’s up to your stars to perform to the best of their ability. Luckily for Lee, LeBron was more than game for that challenge. The Lakers forward basically built a gym on the set so that he could continue his training regimen and got to work.
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Lee began, “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,” he continued. “And 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.”
Don Cheadle talked about his role as Al-G Rhythm in the film with EW earlier this year. “What was pitched to me, what they wanted to do with my character, what was going to happen with LeBron, the conceit of the film and the opportunity to take a classic title like that and do another spin on it with the latest GOAT, being LeBron, I just thought, ‘Hey, this is cool,’” Cheadle told the publication. “To get to play this really innovative character, which I don’t even know how much I can talk about, or what you know. But I just thought it was going to be a cool family story with LeBron and a cool character to play opposite him.”
Space Jam: A New Legacy will be released on HBO Max and in theaters on July 16th.
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