Sean S. Cunningham, the original director and producer of the horror classicFriday the 13th, says a reboot is in development with writer Jeff Locker and director Jeremy Weiss.
Cunningham produced the originalFriday the 13th, set at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake, setting thestandard for slasher movies, along with John Carpenter’sHalloween. This camp-based slasher, with its gore and high body count, also caught the imagination and helped create its iconic killer in 10 subsequent sequels, including the more recentJason X,Freddy vs. Jason, and a 2009 reboot titledFriday the 13ththat failed to appeal to audiences the way the original and many of its sequels did.
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According toBloody Disgusting,Cunningham is in the process of developing aFriday the 13threboot project with Locker and Weiss, which the latter two proposed as the three have been working on other horror projects together. “Jeremy and I pitched our dream reboot ofFriday the 13th– with Sean’s blessing to keep developing it with him,” Locker said. “Obviously, the prequel TV series has reignited interest about a new film so we’re hoping the surrounding excitement will inspire both sides to come together and give us Jason on the big screen again for the first time in 14 years, but we also have a Plan B for a sequel to the original we think fans will absolutely love and should avoid any legal entanglements.”
Cunningham, Locker and Weiss, are also working on a reboot of the1985 comedy horrorHouse, which Cunningham produced, and a new horror project calledThe Night Driver. Weiss also touched upon theFriday the 13thandHouseprojects. “Working onThe Night Driverwith Sean and Jeff was such a great experience, by the time the momentum was picking up we were looking for what projects could be next in line," he said. “As a horror nerd through and through,Friday the 13thandHousewere naturally where I wanted to head next.”
TheFriday the 13thfranchise has been mired in legal issues regarding the rights and trademarks ofthe legendary masked killer Jason Voorhees. Late last year, it was announced that the original screenwriter, Victor Miller, would partner withHannibal’s Bryan Fuller to create a prequel series for Peacock,Crystal Lake. However, questions remained if they could include the famous iconography of theFriday 13thvillain due to rights considerations. It appears Cunningham is confident they will find a way to move forward.
