The Blair Witch Retroactive Residuals

Movies

The Blair Witch Project will be getting a fresh makeover from Lionsgate and Blumhouse. This announcement was made at Lionsgate’s CinemaCon presentation earlier this month.

Lionsgate film chair Adam Fogelson announced the news:

“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with Jason many times over the years. We forged a strong relationship on The Purge when I was at Universal, and we launched STX with his film The Gift. There is no one better at this genre than the team at Blumhouse.”

“We are thrilled to kick this partnership off with a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation.” 

Jason Blum added:

“I don’t think there would have been a Paranormal Activity had there not first been a Blair Witch, so this feels like a truly special opportunity and I’m excited to see where it leads.”

This is all news to the original creators of The Blair Witch Project, which isn’t a surprise for them considering they haven’t been asked to work, or for their opinions, on Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) or Blair Witch (2016). The original crew of The Blair Witch Project has had plenty to say in the wake of this news.

Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams (the original stars of The Blair Witch Project) released a statement on Facebook Saturday, asking Lionsgate for:

The directors and producers also has something to say:

There has been no comment from Lionsgate, but there have been comments from the crew:

“Radical idea: You could try putting this project in the hands of the original team that made the first one. You know, the team that actually has an entire franchise plan to reinvent what a Blair Witch movie could be?” Mike Monello co-producer The Blair Witch Project

“I don’t know how you outdo what we did,” he says. “But I care about the franchise, so whoever does it, I hope they handle it with care.” Ben Rock production designer The Blair Witch Project

“I’m so proud of our little punk-rock movie, and I LOVE the fans who keep the flames burning. But at this point, it’s 25 years of disrespect from the folks who’ve pocketed the lion’s share (pun intended) of the profits from OUR work, and that feels both icky and classless.” Joshua Leonard actor The Blair Witch Project