Sean S. Cunningham, the original director and producer of the horror classic Friday the 13th, says a reboot is in development with writer Jeff Locker and director Jeremy Weiss.
Cunningham produced the original Friday the 13th, set at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake, setting the standard for slasher movies, along with John Carpenter's Halloween. 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 recent Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason, and a 2009 reboot titled Friday the 13th that failed to appeal to audiences the way the original and many of its sequels did.
According to Bloody Disgusting, Cunningham is in the process of developing a Friday the 13th reboot 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 of Friday 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 the 1985 comedy horror House, which Cunningham produced, and a new horror project called The Night Driver. Weiss also touched upon the Friday the 13th and House projects. “Working on The Night Driver with 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 13th and House were naturally where I wanted to head next."
The Friday the 13th franchise has been mired in legal issues regarding the rights and trademarks of the legendary masked killer Jason Voorhees. Late last year, it was announced that the original screenwriter, Victor Miller, would partner with Hannibal's Bryan Fuller to create a prequel series for Peacock, Crystal Lake. However, questions remained if they could include the famous iconography of the Friday 13th villain due to rights considerations. It appears Cunningham is confident they will find a way to move forward.
Friday the 13th reboot is in development.
Source: Bloody Disgusting