PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – LeBron James is apparently following in the footsteps of other NBA stars who have flocked to Los Angeles with dreams of breaking into Hollywood.
The Lakers superstar is reportedly in talks to produce another reboot of the 1980 slasher film "Friday the 13th." The movie spawned nine sequels, a spin-off movie and television series and a remake in 2009.
James, who signed with the Lakers in the offseason after 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers (and four seasons with the Miami Heat nestled in between), has always been a big fan of the Jason Voorhees character, based on his social media posts.
Friday the 13th! Jason Vorhees is one of my favorites. Still don't understand how he caught people running and he just walked though.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 13, 2010
Remember when another NBA giant packed his bags and headed to to Hollywood?
Shaquille O'Neal left the Orlando Magic in 1996 and joined the Lakers, partly to pursue a career as an actor. His Tinseltown career never really took off (see "Kazaam" and "Steel"), but he did help the Lakers win three consecutive NBA championships (2000-02).
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Hollywood would try to cash in on a successful horror franchise after the new "Halloween" movie earned an estimated $77.5 million in North America during its opening weekend. It was the second-biggest debut for a horror movie behind last year's "It," which racked in $123 million on its opening weekend.