LeBron James Dressed As Jason Voorhees for Halloween

NBA superstar LeBron James paid his respects to Friday the 13th and its iconic killer Jason Voorhees by arriving at a game dressed up as the hockey mask-wearing murderer.

More than just a clever costume, this was likely a nod on James’ part to the recent announcement that he aims to develop a new sequel in the long-dormant franchise.

Not content with just dominating the world of professional sports, James and his Springhill Entertainment company are in talks with Vertigo Entertainment to develop a sequel in the franchise. James made his scene-stealing acting debut in 2015’s Trainwreck, while the upcoming Space Jam 2 will see him star in addition to producing.

James leading the charge on a Friday the 13th film might not have been the expected source of developing a sequel, though fans will take whatever they can get at this point.

The last film in the franchise was a 2009 reboot that hit all of the franchise’s major staples, with promiscuous teens getting killed in barbaric ways, but it failed to connect with audiences strongly enough to earn any follow-up films. Multiple productions have been rumored to be moving forward, with a sequel gaining enough steam to send out casting calls as recently as last year. Despite Paramount Pictures not officially announcing why the sequel was scrapped, complications between the filmmakers of the original 1980 film aren’t helping matters.

Director Sean Cunningham secured rights to the original film’s title and hired screenwriter Victor Miller to flesh out the slasher in the late ’70s. The 1980 film became a massive success, with Cunningham retaining the rights to the title.

Miller recently filed a lawsuit to score a portion of the rights of the franchise, a settlement which he won. However, Cunningham filed an appeal, which will lead to the legal battle being drawn out even further.

Jason Voorhees and his hockey mask are the most iconic components of the franchise, though these elements were completely absent from the film Miller wrote. Depending on how the lawsuit turns out, a future film involving the “Friday the 13th” title might be devoid of the familiar killer that debuted in later sequels, or that Voorhees could appear in a film that couldn’t use the recognizable title.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Friday the 13th franchise.

Are you looking forward to seeing what James does with the series? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Twitter, FanDuel]