Horror fans could soon hear news of a new installment in the iconic Friday the 13th franchise, according to producer Roy Lee. In a conversation with Bloody Disgusting’s The Boo Crew Podcast, Lee hinted at some imminent announcements regarding a new adventure for the hockey mask-wearing, machete-wielding Jason Voorhees.
Lee and others have been trying to get a new installment in the Friday the 13th franchise off the ground for some time, but their efforts have been stalled due to an ongoing legal battle. The complications come as a result of legality surrounding the main character of the series, Jason Vorhees. To cut a long story short using a giant machete, the first Friday the 13th was directed by filmmaker Sean S. Cunningham back in 1980, who hired screenwriter Victor Miller to write a script to fit the title “Friday the 13th" and thereby capitalize on the slasher movie craze that took hold during that era of movie-making.
“That one is something that I would love to talk about. You may be hearing something by year’s end… on that front.”
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The franchise has since become a major success, which has led to Miller attempting to acquire more ownership of the property in recent years. Thanks to the citing of an obscure copyright law, Miller was able to win the first court battle, which is where the problems began. While the slasher franchise has become known for the menacing presence of the murderer Jason Voorhees, the character was not actually introduced in his current form until the third movie, which Miller did not write. Thus, unless an agreement is made between the two parties, any reboot would either have to ditch the iconic killer or the franchise’s famous title. Two things that anyone wanting to bring another Friday the 13th movie to the screen will be averse to doing.
So, has something happened that has allowed Roy Lee to begin the development of a Friday the 13th reboot in secret? At least it sounds like we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
Prey Star Would Love to Play the New Jason Voorhees
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Producer Roy Lee, who is behind such other horror outings as The Ring, Blair Witch and the Poltergeist and It remakes, has been attached to the Friday the 13th property since as far back as 2018. While details of what he has in mind for the series remains unknown, one actor has put himself forward as a candidate to portray the new Jason Vorhees. Should the character be allowed to appear, of course.
Prey star Dane DiLiegro, who has recently resurrected the Predator in the Hulu prequel, has stated his desire to don a hockey mask for a new Friday the 13th. “I retired from basketball just short of three years ago and moved to Los Angeles to start acting,” DiLiegro said. “I had two characters in mind that I wanted to do. One was the Predator, the other was Jason Voorhees for Friday the 13th. To this day, I can’t believe that I got the opportunity to portray the Predator. I still can’t believe it.”
Stay tuned for more updates on the continuation of the Friday the 13th franchise.
