As someone who enjoyed 2009’sFriday the 13threboot and thought it was a good launching pad for a new series, I was a bit dismayed that Jason Voorhees’ latest outing failed to launch, even if it did bring in about $91 million from a $19 million budget. However, the property has also been tied up in litigation, which means the most Jason we’ve received recently was the popular video game where players could take on the roles of hapless victims or Jason himself. But now it looks like Jason could be headed back to the big screen with the help of King James.
Bloody Disgustingreports thatLeBron Jamesis in talks to produce aFriday the 13threboot. James, who’s already a producer on the upcomingSpace Jamsequel and now spends a healthy amount of time in the Los Angeles area since joining the Lakers, is reportedly talking to Vertigo Entertainment to produce the reboot. As BD notes, “This news comes on the heels of originalFriday the 13thscreenwriterVictor Millerprevailing out of a lengthy legal battle in which U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill granted summary judgment in favor of Miller and against the producers,Horror, Inc.While the latter is appealing, Miller currently has the U.S. rights toFriday the 13th, which include the locations and characters within the story.”
James putting his stamp on the franchise would certainly open it up to a larger audience to see what the basketball icon could do with one of the most famous horror franchises out there. Also, if you’re looking for James’ horror bona fides, BD points out that he’sdressed up as Pennywisefor Halloween and released special “blood-stained”Friday the 13thsneakers.
I’m curious to see how much traction this ends up getting. If the legal issues are resolved, I could easily seeFriday the 13thbecoming a hit after the massive box office theHalloweenreboot had this past weekend. If you treat an iconic horror franchise with the reverence it deserves, and you release it at the right time of year, it can be as unstoppable as its main slasher.
