Hellraiser: Judgement director Gary J. Tunnicliffe recently expressed his frustration with the news that the franchise would be getting a new reboot. Tunnicliffe was originally set to direct Hellraiser 11, which would have been a sequel to Judgement. Unfortunately, the scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein caused Dimension Films to go under, resulting in the project having to be abandoned.

Currently, a new reboot of Hellraiser is in the works, this time directed by David Bruckner, whose horror accolades include V/H/S and Southbound. The film will be produced by David S. Goyer and Spyglass Media Group, with Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski serving as writers. Not much information has been revealed about the movie beyond this, and it does not yet have an official release date. Additionally, a Hellraiser TV series on HBO is in development, which will take place in a separate continuity from the reboot film and will have an entirely different production team behind it. As with the new movie, the TV show does not have an official release date yet.

Related: Why Paul T. Taylor Replaced Doug Bradley As Pinhead In Hellraiser: Judgment 

In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Tunnicliffe voiced his disappointment with the fact that his planned sequel fell through, and that the franchise now seems to be heading off in a new direction without him. The Judgement director explained his fear he will be grouped with the creators blamed for ruining the franchise, and that he will never be invited to work on the property again.

"It’s very depressing to sit around and see what’s happening now with Hellraiser. People are going ‘Oh, there’s a TV show, and they’re really excited about doing it.’ ‘Oh, there’s going to be a reboot.’ And I get no reaching out at all. You think, ‘Wow, man. I bust my gut on that thing.’ And yeah, you could say ‘Aw, the films weren’t very good.’ My genuine fear is, they’re all going to turn out, these new people, they’re going to make this new movie, and go ‘Yeah, those guys just wrecked the movies and they destroyed the franchise, and now we’re rebuilding it…’ It’s like…I feel like I slummed it in the minor leagues, and all I wanted to do was make my team the best team it could be. Every time we did one, I put my heart and soul into it. I really did. And it was hard and depressing at times, to see where they went. When I came off Hellworld, which I hated, I was utterly depressed. ‘They’ve just ruined it.’ I’d just sat in a room where Pinhead was saying ‘How’s that for a wakeup call?’ I just felt that this franchise that I adore has lost all sense of respect, because people are just banging it out and I’m trying to do good, solid work.

"I was just miserable. I was like, ‘I’m never going to get to direct a Hellraiser film. It’ll never happen.’ So it is upsetting. I kinda feel like it would be nice if somebody reached out to me and said, ‘Oh, we’re going to do a TV series of Hellraiser. Do you want to direct an episode?’ Or, at least, even ‘We’d like to pick your brains a little bit.’ I mean, I kinda feel like how Kane Hodder felt when he got abandoned as Jason. It’s like, no one even picks up the phone and reaches out to you. And yet, I feel like I really put the effort in and showed that I adored it."

Tunnicliffe also talked about future plans he had for the Stygian Inquisition, the faction of demons that Pinhead allies himself with in Judgement. Tunnicliffe technically still owns the rights to the characters, including their shadowy leader, the Auditor. While Tunnicliffe mentioned he had an idea for a novel surrounding the Stygian Inquisition, the apparent lack of interest in the characters caused him to table the idea.

Hellraiser: Judgement is still one of the best-reviewed installments of the direct-to-video movies, with many critics praising its efforts to take the franchise in a new direction rather than simply repeating what has been done before. Although the film is not without its flaws, Tunnicliffe nevertheless demonstrated an impressive passion and creativity while working on the project, producing new lore and new characters while also attempting to update the horror for modern times. It would certainly be a shame if Tunnicliffe's fears prove to be true, since newer creators could benefit greatly from the director's unique vision of a classic horror character.

Next: Why Hellraiser: Revelations Needed A New Pinhead

Source: Gary J. Tunnicliffe/Bloody Disgusting