It’s now been over ten years since the last Friday the 13th film made its way to theaters, and given the current legal messiness unfolding around the property, it could well be at least a few more before Jason Voorhees returns to the big screen. Nonetheless, YouTuber Jimmy Champane reports of a recent development that’s given fans hope that the situation could be resolved sooner rather than later.
Last September, the news broke that Victor Miller, writer of the original 1980 Friday the 13th, had won back the rights to the character of Jason after a lengthy legal brawl with director and producer Sean S. Cunningham that’s been keeping the franchise in a state of limbo. But whatever glimmer of hope this development offered fans was quickly dashed when Cunningham filed a notice of appeal, ensuring that the battle would drag for longer.
Just recently, however, it was revealed that Cunningham has now withdrawn his appeal, and while it has since been clarified that this was done purely for technical reasons, the development still puts the producer in the interesting position of having to choose between two options: either refile the appeal and let this expensive courtroom drama rage on for another few years only to possibly lose again, or come to an agreement with Miller that would allow for more Jason movies.
It remains to be seen which route Cunningham takes, but should Friday the 13th soon be freed from its legal quagmire, there are certainly a fair few producers who’d by keen to take on the property. Ryan Turek from Blumhouse Productions, for instance, has expressed an interest in attempting to repeat the company’s success in rebooting Halloween, while LeBron James and his SpringHill Entertainment company have also reportedly been in talks with Vertigo Entertainment to bring back the slasher series.
Regardless, the conflict over Friday the 13th isn’t over yet, and for the time being, all we can do is keep watching this space to see what Cunningham decides.