Blumhouse producer Jason Blum still wants to reboot the Friday the 13th movies. Blum's company has established itself as one of the biggest names in the horror genre, overwhelmingly dominating the industry since its first major release with 2009's Paranormal Activity, which went on to earn nearly $200 million worldwide. Blumhouse has since produced an array of low-budget horror films that are box office hits and even some more poignant ones such as Split and Get Out, the latter earning four Oscar nominations in 2018, including Best Picture. Blumhouse's successes like Paranormal Activity, Insidious and The Purge have become some of the most iconic horror franchises of the 21st century, which is why it's no surprise Blum wants to have his own take on past horror icons.
Back in 2018, Blum first revealed that he would be interested in tackling the Friday the 13th movies. It wouldn't be the first slasher franchise he's rebooted, as he brought back Michael Myers in 2018's Halloween, the direct sequel to the 1978 film. The reboot film started a new timeline with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her iconic role from the films, and even returning creator John Carpenter. Blumhouse's reboot generally pleased fans and critics, and has already spawned, not one, but two sequels. Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, the 12th and 13th films in the series, are scheduled for release over the next two years. Despite his involvement with the Halloween series, Friday the 13th is not off the table yet for Blum.
Speaking with CinePOP again, Blum confirms that he is still interested in rebooting the Friday the 13th franchise. When asked what franchise he would like to take on next, following his latest sequel-reboot film, The Craft: Legacy, he had a simple answer. "I'd love to do Friday the 13th. I'd do it as a movie," he said.
Since the first film's release in 1980, Friday the 13th has spawned dozens of sequels that have placed the hockey mask-wearing Jason Vorhees in various situations, including a cross-over battle with Freddy Krueger and even going to outer space. Grossing over $529 million worldwide, Friday the 13th was the highest grossing horror franchise until the release of the Halloween reboot. The franchise was a cornerstone for campy slasher horror movies, maintaining a massive fan base despite always being panned by critics. However, it's been over a decade since a Friday the 13th film was made, the last one being Michael Bay's 2009 reboot. Since Bay's film, there's been multiple attempts to produce another Friday the 13th, but legal disputes over the film series' rights make a reboot unlikely for the time being.
Blumhouse's successful Halloween reboot proves that the company could do a good job in bringing back Friday the 13th. The company has produced great films in the past decade, and it would be interesting to see what they could do with Jason's story. Blum's reboot could place Jason back at Camp Crystal Lake in a more remake-style, or it could continue his story in the same timeline as the original films. Either way, it may still be a while before fans see a Blumhouse's take on iconic franchise.
Source: CinePOP