Space Jam: A New Legacy Reveals First Details About Don Cheadle's Villain

The long-awaited sequel to 1996's Space Jam is just a few months away, with LeBron James and the Looney Tunes set to lead the franchise to prominence once again. As Space Jam: A New Legacy approaches its release, we're finally starting to learn a little more about the plot of the sequel, which has been kept secret over the last couple of years during production. EW released the first batch of official photos on Thursday, along with some information about the film itself, including the role of the Don Cheadle's villain.

The longtime Marvel star will play an artificial intelligence humanoid named Al G Rhythm. The character notices James' son in the film, Dom (Cedric Joe), utilizing some pretty solid tech skills. Al G Rhythm eventually sucks both LeBron and Dom into the Warner 3000 entertainment "Server-Verse," kidnapping the boy in the hopes of stealing some of James' followers.

There are all kinds of characters in the Server-Verse of Warner Bros., including King Kong and Batman. But in order to escape the virtual world of Al G Rhythm, James has to play in a basketball game, so he searches throughout the Server-Verse to find the old members of the Tune Squad. Only after rounding up the likes of Bugs, Lola, Daffy, and the others can James take on the Good Squad (sorry, no Monstars) and get his son back.

While he clearly has some terrible tricks up his sleeve, Cheadle doesn't necessarily see Al G Rhythm as a villain. The actor simply describes his character as "an A.I. with a chip on his shoulder."

Cheadle had similar thoughts when he was asked about his character back in February, saying that Al G Rhythm and LeBron James simply have different views on things.

"Am I going to be the villain? I think villain is a harsh word," Cheadle told ET. "I think that there are some differences that LeBron James has of my character. And Al-G Rhythm is his own kind of dude. He doesn't want to be boxed into a corner."

Are you looking forward to checking out Space Jam: A New Legacy when it arrives this summer? Let us know in the comments!

Space Jam: A New Legacy arrives on HBO Max and in theaters on July 16th.