GM is giving Hummer a second life as an electric pickup

This undated photo provided by General Motors shows a 2006 Hummer H3.

General Motors is bringing back the Hummer, nearly a decade after the brand became defunct. This time, the Hummer will live a new life as an all-electric pickup truck.

GM is also investing in a splashy ad campaign. It'll show the Hummer in a Super Bowl ad in February, a source familiar with the plan confirmed to CNN Business. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story on Friday, says the company has signed on basketball star LeBron James to help.

The Super Bowl is a common battleground for car brands like Kia, Mercedes-Benz and GM to show off their vehicles.

The new Hummer pickup truck is slated to hit the market in early 2022 and will be sold under the GMC truck and SUV brand in small quantities, the same source confirmed.

GM originally discontinued Hummer back in 2010, after the company filed for bankruptcy and sought to cut some of its more costly brands. The Hummer is technically making its comeback in name, but GM doesn't have plans yet to bring the brand back entirely.

It's a surprisingly green return for the usually gas-guzzling Hummer with a reputation for not being fuel efficient. And it may be targeted at environmentalists, the biggest critics of the old Hummer.

Other qualities of the brand will remain: The new pickup will likely be sturdy and tough-looking.