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Why the ‘Friday the 13’ Franchise is at a Standstill

Published

6 years ago

May 2, 2018

Horror seems to be everywhere. Successes like IT, Get Out, Happy Death Day, Etc. have taught us that this underrated genre is not to be overlooked. Remakes especially are resurging. Take Halloween, The Grudge and even Suspiria for example. Classic horror icons are being reborn, but whatever happened to the beloved Jason Voorhees? Seems like the masked killer is in bit of a law-binding standstill.

In the 80’s, Jason was unstoppable. Spawning over 12 installments in 29 years, the hockey-masked killer went from the bottom of Crystal Lake to space and back. It would seem likely that we would finally get an answer to our long awaited Friday the 13 reboot.

The last time we visited Camp Crystal Lake was when Paramount decided to kill the series indefinitely. Speculation from a source close to both Platinum Dunes owner Michael Bay and the lawsuit between Friday the 13 series creators Sean S. Cunningham and Victor Miller spoke on the reasons behind the cancellation. As it turns out, some of those rumors were true.

According to Collider, Platinum Dunes Producer Brad Fuller and Andrew Form were busy promoting their film, A Quiet Place.

“We never got a clear answer from Paramount as to why that movie got shut down,” said Fuller while speaking to Rooster Teeth. “I think at the end of the day that administration, which is no longer there, didn’t see horror as a viable part of what they were doing. In addition, they were coming off Rings and that did not help. For studio heads that are not fans of horror there is not a tremendous amount of glory in it other than the financial. Many of these studios want to make big movies with big movie stars and that administration could never get excited about it. I think the rights now have reverted back to New Line.”

Now that the ball is in New Line’s Court, will a move be made soon? It seems unlikely until the lawsuit is settled. For those who are not familiar with the case, here is a quick summary:

Back in 2016 Victor Miller, the original screenwriter of Friday the 13, seeked to recoup his beloved creation as his own. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this is possible thanks to a provision in copyright law that allows authors to terminate a grant of rights and reclaim full ownership. There are loopholes and loose ends that have made this case tricky. Thus spawning this dragged out battle for the characters and storyline.

Fuller spoke to JoBlo about the odds against this favor, “Fans think it’s so simple, that if we want to make the movie we can go make it, and that’s just not the case. There are rights issues; originally, Warner Bros. owned the rights, then Paramount had them for a couple of years, and now I think the rights are reverting back to Warner Bros. At the same time, there is this on-going lawsuit with Victor Miller. If there is a lawsuit hanging over the rights, it’s problematic, you can’t really make the movie until that gets settled. And now the movie is at New Line, and we’ve made a lot of movies with those guys, but that’s not our home studio anymore.”

Nonetheless, Fuller and Form would still like to make a new Friday the 13 film. “If [New Line] want to make that movie with us, we will drop what we’re doing to make that movie.”

Seeing that we have not seen a new Friday the 13 film since 2009, it is looking more likely that this wish for a reboot will not be granted anytime soon.

Blumhouse did comment on their interest in adopting Jason into their wicked household. In an interview with CinePOP, Jason Blum was asked if there were any franchises he would love to reimagine. “Besides Halloween? You know, I really wanted to do Friday the 13. I would love to do that movie. Maybe someday we’ll get to do that one.”

With Blumhouse’s heavyweight champions under his powerhouse, it would be interesting to see what could be done with the series. For now, we wait in the quiet waters of hope until a disfigured beauty reaches out.

Would you be interested in seeing a new entry in the Friday the 13th franchise? Tell us in the comments! For more behind-the-scenes info on the series, check out this upcoming documentary on Jason Goes to Hell

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

1 min ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

2 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

3 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.