Producer Roy Lee has suggested that a new Friday the 13th movie may secretly be in early development.
Speaking with Bloody Disgusting’s The Boo Crew Podcast, Lee, who has produced several popular horror movies like The Ring, Blair Witch and the Poltergeist and It remakes, seemed to hint that a new sequel in the long-running Friday the 13th franchise was close to being a reality. "That one is something that I would love to talk about. You may be hearing something by year’s end… on that front," he told The Boo Crew.
The slasher franchise began in 1980 with the release of the original Friday the 13th. The horror film followed a group of camp counselors who are trying to reopen a summer camp called Crystal Lake but are mysteriously stalked and murdered by an unseen killer. Friday the 13th was a box office success and was followed by nine sequels, one crossover with the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and a remake in 2009. Besides the original film, every installment heavily features the character of Jason Voorhees. Friday the 13th is considered one of the most successful franchises and was the highest-grossing horror franchise in the world until 2018's Halloween was released and grossed over $250 million worldwide, leading to the Halloween franchise taking the top spot.
The Friday the 13th Legal Battle, Explained
After the release of the remake, no new films could be developed in the Friday the 13th franchise due to a legal battle between the original film's writer, Victor Miller, and director, Sean Cunningham. Miller won the domestic rights to the franchise in Sept. 2021. However, Cunningham still owns the character of adult Jason, who was introduced in later sequels, meaning both parties still need to work together and agree on who owns what for a future film to use adult Jason, the Camp Crystal Lake setting and the Friday the 13th title. Lee's comments, however, seem to hint that an agreement might have finally been reached between Miller and Cunningham and that an announcement regarding the long-awaited thirteenth Friday the 13th film is in the works.
Lee has been attached to a new Friday the 13th film since 2018 when his production company Vertigo Entertainment was set to produce a new installment in the franchise, which never happened due to the legal battle. The production company primarily produces horror films like Rings, Doctor Sleep and His House, but has also worked in other genres, producing The Lego Movie, The Disaster Artist and Extinction, starring Chris Hemsworth.
Source: Bloody Disgusting