‘Friday the 13th’ Reboot via LeBron James
On the heels of the reception of the latest Halloween film, Hollywood must be wondering what horror franchise is next in line for a reboot. LeBron James feels that should be Friday the 13th and he’s not alone. Original Friday the 13th writer, Victor Miller, happens to agree. While there have been legal battles involving the films rights, a verdict finally arrived which awarded him a reversion of rights claim.
Upon receiving the news, Miller has announced that SpringHill and Vertigo are set to co-produce the upcoming reboot. Vertigo knows the remake game as we saw last year when the studio undertook Stephen King’s IT. They have also had a hand in other films including The Departed, The Strangers, Quarantine, and The Uninvited. When considering the success of first chapter of IT Miller is making a well thought out decision. Is this the true time to reboot the late 70s, early 80s slasher films? Possibly.
Fans of the franchise should ask a bigger question though. Should there be a full blown reboot at all? In 2009, a reboot of the Friday the 13th arrived in theaters. The film was smart and paid homage to numerous films within the franchise, but nothing ever came of a sequel. While the ending might seem closed, they could always reveal that Jason killed neither sibling and reboot the franchise in that manner. The film could focus on an opener reminiscent of the original Friday the 13th sequel.
That notion is slightly tricky though as Sean Cunningham owns the rights to the rest of the films in the Friday the 13th franchise. My thoughts on the matter probably could not come into play unless Miller and Cunningham decided to play ball together again. Seeing as Cunningham will most likely appeal the recent verdict I do not think it’s possible for these two men to play nice to create what could be an outstanding reboot.
This begs another question. What could a reboot of Friday the 13th entail? I am no law expert, but with Cunningham owning the adult versions of Jason Voorhees, the film could focus on a true origin story for Mrs. Voorhees instead. With an updated backstory and history, audiences could see the actual scene of a young Jason drowning as it comes back to current days and the new killings. They could even focus on her spirit instead of Jason taking the franchise in an entirely different direction.
Despite the potential legal issues that might cause a delay in production, the film is in the early stages of production. As reported by Variety, Warner Bros. is the studio rumored to distribute the updated project. The studio did have a hand in on the 2009 reboot, which is makes this decision a wise one for production as well as Miller.
Do you think another reboot could save the franchise? Do you think franchises should be rebuilt? What would you want to see in a potential reboot? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Michelle Patterson prides herself on her random pop culture knowledge. She finds great joy in all things horror related and tries to enjoy movies on a weekly basis. If she’s not at the theater, she can be found at a convention or a concert. To connect with her more, check out her Instagram page, Twitter Page, Facebook Page, or her website.
