With his move to the Los Angeles Lakers last season, many basketball fans have speculated that star player LeBron James’s move was due in part to his desire to work more in the entertainment industry. James first got a taste for showbiz as an executive producer on the 2008 documentary More Than a Game, which chronicled James’s rise to superstardom from his high school basketball days.
Since then, James has created an animated series, co-starred in the 2015 movie Trainwreck and produced many other movies, shows, and video games. James has several upcoming projects, but none more highly-anticipated than Space Jam 2 (2021), the sequel to Michael Jordan’s Space Jam (1996). Since he can’t play professional basketball forever, here are 10 movies James should try rebooting next.
Fletch (1985)
Jason Sudeikis was originally slated to star in the reboot of the Chevy Chase mystery comedy Fletch, but the project has since broken down, so who better to reprise the role of the titular newspaper reporter with dreams of playing basketball for the Lakers than the Lakers star himself?
LeBron showed in Trainwreck that he has plenty of comedic muscles to flex, so watching him investigate his way down a comedic rabbit hole after being offered a large sum of money to kill a terminally-ill millionaire should make for lots of dark laughs. Fletch had a sequel in Fletch Lives (1989), so this could turn into a franchise for LeBron.
First Blood (1982)
LeBron has yet to take on an action-movie role, but he definitely has the look for it. James has taken down juggernaut NBA teams before with little-to-no help around him, so he’s probably capable of single-handedly taking on a town’s corrupt law enforcement team as John Rambo in First Blood.
Originally starring Sylvester Stallone, this thrilling action classic has spawned four sequels, along with a couple of foreign remakes, so while he may be more likely to stick to more family-friendly stories, this is a great chance for LeBron to launch another profitable franchise if he chooses.
Sideways (2004)
The 2005 Oscar winner for Best Adapted Screenplay, LeBron may have to age a bit more before remaking Sideways, the story of two middle-aged men who’ve led lives of disappointment before deciding to take a week-long road trip through California’s wine country before one of them gets married.
The romantic comedy genre will be familiar to LeBron after Trainwreck, but what really makes this a great fit for James is his notorious passion for red wine. He’d also probably be more believable as Jack (Thomas Haden Church), the past-his-prime actor set to be married, rather than Miles (Paul Giamatti), the depressed teacher and failed writer.
Wild Wild West (1999)
Reflecting on his decision to star in Wild Wild West over The Matrix (1999), Will Smith has called it one of the greatest mistakes of his career, so while there are multiple Smith movies LeBron could be good in, none are more deserving of a reboot than Wild Wild West.
Based on the 1960s television series, the story follows special agents James West (Smith) and Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline) as they protect America from a confederate scientist (Kenneth Branagh) out for revenge after the Civil War. The movie was panned by critics, but it could be a great chance for LeBron to break into the Western genre.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
LeBron, prepare to step out of your comfort zone. A cult classic that still enjoys midnight screenings to this day, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cinematic musical spectacle unlike any other. The story follows a newly-engaged couple who seek shelter in an isolated mansion after their car breaks down in a storm. The resulting journey the couple goes on courtesy of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a self-described “sweet transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania,” is, in a word – indescribable.
If LeBron feels confident in his singing abilities, he could tackle the role of Frank-N-Furter, but if he’d rather be a quiet hunk, he’d do fine as Rocky (Peter Hinwood) instead. Either way, this would cement LeBron as a cult movie icon.
Batman
LeBron James was not the first basketball player to wear a black protective face mask when playing a game through injury, but he was the last. When he wore the notorious black mask for the Miami Heat during a February 2014 game, he instantly drew comparisons to the Dark Knight from fans and analysts alike.
Robert Pattinson is already starring in The Batman (2021), the latest reimaging of the Caped Crusader, but since there’s basically a new actor playing Batman every decade, who better to don the mask next than James? He’s probably closer to being an actual superhero than almost anyone else on Earth.
Lincoln (2012)
LeBron is a competitive guy, so if he keeps acting, he’s probably going to want to go after an Academy Award at some point and maybe Lincoln, the same movie that garnered Daniel Day-Lewis a lead-acting Oscar, is James’s ticket to a little gold man.
Let’s address the elephant in the room — Abraham Lincoln was White and LeBron is Black — but thanks to Tony-winning performances from three different Black actors who portrayed White historical figures in Hamilton, the door may have been opened for James to be critically acclaimed for doing the same, provided he has a good enough take on the nation’s tallest president.
Elf (2003)
James has already been featured in Christmas-themed commercials, so it stands to reason that he’ll want to make a Christmas movie at some point, and Elf could make for the perfect reboot vehicle.
Having changed teams and started over three times in his career, LeBron is no stranger to being new in town. Such is the story of Buddy (Will Ferrell), a man raised as an elf in the North Pole who seeks out his real father (James Caan) in New York City. The image alone of 6 foot 9-inch James living amongst waist-height elves is enough to justify his own version of the movie.
The Terminator (1984)
A polarizing player, LeBron has never had a problem playing the villain to basketball fans that resent him for routinely defeating their favorite teams and he’s been striking fear into the hearts of other teams for his entire career.
When LeBron is ready to embrace his evil side and fully commit to being a villain, The Terminator would provide him with the perfect role. The killer instinct he’s developed on the court from years of methodically dismantling opponents should translate well into becoming the ruthless, indestructible, robotic apex predator popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He Got Game (1998)
LeBron has stated that one of his career goals is to one day play alongside his son Bronny, a promising NBA prospect in his own right, so he’d likely jump at the chance to act alongside him and Spike Lee’s He Got Game is the perfect movie for the pair to reboot.
The story follows Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington), a convicted felon who’s promised a reduced prison sentence by the state’s governor on the condition that he convinces his son, top-ranked high-school basketball player Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen), to play college ball at the governor’s alma mater. If there was a movie that LeBron and Bronny were born to co-star in, it’s this one.
