New Line Cinema Takes back Rights to ‘Friday the 13th’
If you have felt confused, disappointed and maybe a little bit annoyed in regards to this never ending rights battle for Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13th series …. you may be finally be able to feel a sense of contentment.
Since 2009, Jason Voorhees has struggled to get back to the big screens. This was not because the remake of the original 1980 classic didn’t score the box office numbers it originally desired… it has been a result of a never ending rights battle between Paramount Pictures and New Line Cinema.
I mean, it does get a little bit complicated when one studio owns the rights to Jason Voorhees and the other owns the rights to the titular ‘Friday the 13th’.
Following the release of the 2009 film, there were several attempts to get Jason back on track. This year, was the most notable. The film was originally scheduled for a release of Friday, October 13th which would have been perfect for the Halloween season. Just days from production start, Paramount Pictures shut down the film’s production stating that it was because Rings tanked at the box office. The studio held a belief that perhaps R-Rated remakes and sequels may not do as originally expected.
Now, here is where it gets quite interesting. New Line Cinema has been scoring huge in regards to remakes and sequels. Andrew Muschietti’s IT, which was produced by New Line Cinema and distributed by Warner Bros., completely dominated the box office. The same thing could be said about Annabelle: Creation, also produced by New Line Cinema. IT: Part One and Annabelle: Creation were R-Rated remakes and sequels, respectfully. So perhaps it is not the fact that horror fans do not want R-Rated movies that fall into the ‘sequel’ category, maybe it is just which horror character that is chosen to be portrayed.
Luckily for New Line Cinema, the rights to Jason Voorhees AND Friday the 13th have fallen into their laps. Paramount had five years to make another Friday the 13th movie and since the did not do so, the rights have gone back to New Line as of January 2018.
According to horror website The Devil’s Eyes, the folks over at New Line Cinema have already “put the wheels in motion” for another reboot. If this is to turn out true, then Friday the 13th could arrive in theaters just in time for the series 40th anniversary (November 13th, 2020)… shortly after IT: Part 2 makes its debut in theaters.
Currently, there is no announcement of an official release date BUT maybe since the rights are solidified, the ball will get rolling sooner than we thought. Jason is long overdue for another sequel.
Let us keep our fingers crossed!
Source: 1428 Elm
Julia recently published her first novel, titled; Anomic. She is currently co-authoring a novel called ‘Snow Falls’. She has a B.A in Communications with concentrations in Professional Writing and Public Relations. She is also in the United States Army Reserves as a Military Police Officer, and is currently in the process of going back to school for her Masters Degree in Business. When she isn’t writing, she is co-owner of a film production studio called ‘Valentine Productions LLC’ and she frequently spends her weekends acting in films, or being a stuntwoman.
