Platinum Dunes has been working feverishly to reboot Friday The 13th since the rights transitioned back to Paramount last year, and while we already know this could be the first “found footage” franchise entry for Jason Voorhees, a director still remained out of the picture. Thanks to The Wrap, we finally might have a clear winner in the race to reboot such a fabled franchise, and you know what, it’s actually a fiercely smart choice.
According to sources, director David Bruckner is currently in negotiations to helm – something Paramount refused to comment on. If you’re a horror fan, you’ll know Bruckner’s name from his indie-hit debut The Signal, and then again from his highly successful V/H/S segment titled “Amateur Night.” Both productions went over well with the horror community, especially “Amateur Night,” after so many fans dubbed the segment a clear-cut highlight amidst the other V/H/S segments.
I’m a little shocked that Paramount has the guts to hand Friday The 13th over to a director with only one feature film under his belt, but it’s also refreshing to hear a big studio might be willing to trust such an inexperienced filmmaker based on talents alone. Looking at “Amateur Night,” featuring a murderous succubus who accompanies three men to a motel room, Bruckner’s mastery of “found footage” makes him a stand out choice for a “found footage” slasher flick.
But, what if this Friday The 13th reboot isn’t “found footage?” While it was reported Bruckner is looking like our director, it was also released that Paramount isn’t sure whether “found footage” will be utilized or not. I’m sure this is heavenly to shaky-cam haters and Friday The 13th purists everywhere, but if our final product does end up being a Bruckner “found footage” film, Jason is in very capable hands.
Personally, I wouldn’t HATE seeing a Friday The 13th “found footage” film. We’ve seen Jason slash through victims time and time again, running the same angles, and we’ve even had a more recent reboot back in 2009, so would a little variety be the worst thing? I’m not saying Paramount SHOULD go “found footage,” but if a killer idea exists, why not reach for the stars? David Bruckner could be the director needed to shake things up a bit, and it’ll surely be interesting to see where Paramount lands on the whole “found footage” angle.