Kane Hodder, the actor who played the role of Jason Voorhees in four movies and a video game, revealed in a recent podcast that he was originally going to reprise the role in Freddy vs. Jason.
Jason Voorhees is one of the most iconic movie villains of all time. He is the main antagonist in the Friday the 13th movie series and has appeared as the main villain in 11 films. Horror fans everywhere are familiar with his iconic hockey mask and machete, and he continues to be one of the most terrifying characters in popular culture.
Multiple actors have played Jason, but one of the most consistent faces behind the mask was the stuntman Kane Hodder. Hodder played Jason in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and Jason X. Hodder also reprised the role in Friday the 13th: The Game.
However, Hodder didn’t play Jason in the 2003 crossover film Freddy vs. Jason, which put Jason against another horror icon, Freddie Krueger. In a recent interview on The Boo Crew podcast, Hodder discussed his time as the iconic character and how he was originally set to play Jason in Freddy vs. Jason. He received the script and was told he return for the role but was eventually replaced by Canadian stuntman Ken Kirzinger.
Hodder did not expect a guarantee to come back as Jason after Jason X, but it was upsetting to be told he would reprise the role only to be replaced. However, Hodder eventually returned as Jason in Friday the 13th: The Game, allowing players to directly control the terrifying character.
The future of the Friday the 13th franchise is unclear, but fans might see Hodder return as the villain in a future installment.