Space Jam: A New Legacy arrives on July 16, revitalizing the Looney Tunes’ love of basketball and giving them a whole new look. But family is the theme of the sequel to the 1996 breakout hit, and the patriarch of said family is LeBron James.
Cedric Joe, who plays LeBron’s son Dom, spoke to Screen Rant about his character’s strained relationship with his father and his personal favorite cartoon heroes.
Screen Rant: At its center, this story is all about family. Can you talk to me a little bit about who Dom is, and about his relationship with his father, LeBron James?
Cedric Joe: Dom is obviously the son of LeBron James, who plays basketball. But he is also a video game developer, and the relationship he has with his dad is not the best. Mainly because his primary goal isn't to play basketball which, if you're LeBron James' son - one of the greatest of all time to play basketball - the ideal being would be to go to the NBA like your dad.
But that's not what he wants to do, and that's not the first thing that comes to mind. He wants to design video games, and I feel like for LeBron, that takes time for him to understand.
LeBron James plays your father in the film. Can you talk to me a little bit about working with The King? Is there anything that may have surprised you about him?
Cedric Joe: Working with him was a dream come true. He was always my favorite player growing up, and getting to be in the same place as him was mind-blowing.
Some of the things that surprised me were, for one, his acting. And then seeing how he was as a person, seeing how cool he was and how comfortable he made everyone feel; making it easy for everyone to work with him. And realizing that he is human.
LeBron James isn't the only legend that you get to work within this film. You also get to share the screen with a film legend, Don Cheadle, who plays Al-G Rhythm, and he was so much fun to watch in this film. What did he bring to the role that wasn't on the page?
Cedric Joe: That innocence that Al-G thinks he has. He has a mind of his own, thinking that he isn't necessarily the villain and that people don't understand him. He's right about that, because not everyone see can see from his point of view.
But him playing Al-G? They cast the right one, and getting to work with him was great. Building that bond with him, and him being like family to me now and a mentor, was great. I hope I continue to work with him again.
The Looney Tunes are a big part of Space Jam. Which Looney Tunes character were you most excited to share the screen with?
Cedric Joe: I was most excited to share the screen with Bugs Bunny and also Daffy Duck, because he is my favorite one.
Malcolm Lee is such a brilliant director. Can you talk to me about the collaboration process of working with him?
Cedric Joe: Malcolm is a great director. Getting to work with him and him sharing his experience as far as filmmaking - and just how he was personally too. [I didn't know] that Malcolm could hoop a little bit. I didn't know that he could play basketball. Everyone made it fun.
There's a ton of surprises, cameos, and Easter eggs. What are you most excited for people to see in Space Jam: A New Legacy?
Cedric Joe: The Michael Jordan cameo that Don [Cheadle] was talking about.
