Friday the 13th has been part of an ongoing legal battle since 2016, and could possibly reach a resolution soon, as a court date has been set for next month.
Victor Miller, who wrote the original Friday the 13th (1980) which created the franchise, hit Sean S. Cunningham, the film’s director, with a termination of copyright notice in 2016, essentially saying that he was due money for use of the character Jason Voorhees and any aspects of the original script. Cunningham, who has been involved with the franchise since its inception, has stated that Miller was hired to write the script by him, and thus, the property should legally remain with his employer at the time, Horror Inc. There was originally another Friday the 13th movie that was set to be made with Paramount and Platinum Dunes. The original script was written by Aaron Guzikowski and set to be directed by Breck Eisner. The project was put indefinitely on hold in February 2017. Since then, there has been interest in revitalizing the franchise from other sources, such as Blumhouse Productions, NBA star LeBron James, and Oz Perkins, director of 2020’s Gretel & Hansel.
According to Friday the 13th: The Franchise, the next step in the legal process between Miller and Cunningham is set for February 13, 2020, which is a Thursday. Each side will have 12 minutes to argue their case. Larry Zerner, who played Shelly Finkelstein in Friday the 13th Part 3 and is now an entertainment lawyer, said on Twitter, “mark your calendar! The second circuit has scheduled oral arguments in Horror Inc. v. Miller (the Friday the 13th case) for February 13th at 10:00 am. Each side will have 12 minutes to argue. I will provide analysis as soon as the Court posts the recording of the hearing”. As this is on schedule with what Zerner previously Tweeted, it’s very possible that the case could reach a decision by June 2020.
What The Court Date Could Mean For The Friday The 13th Franchise
If the decision is made in June 2020, that means the next Friday the 13th movie could be up for grabs again soon. Cunningham has been a major part of the franchise, and if he lost the rights to Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13th material in Miller’s script, could have to part ways with future producing credits as well, unless the two could reach an agreement. Miller, if he won, could take the material and sell to another interested party or studio, or keep the rights for himself and try to spin-off the franchise in whatever direction he desires.
Blumhouse’s interest in the franchise could come into play regardless of who wins, as they’ve had clear success with another major horror franchise, Halloween. Halloween 2018 was made on a budget of $10 million, but grossed $316.1 million at the box office. It also spawned two sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, which are slated for release in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Blumhouse is known for quick turnarounds with releases as well as making lower budget horror that turns huge profits. As there is also a script already written, it’s possible that the pieces could come together for another Friday the 13th movie fairly quickly.
Oz Perkins spoke with Bloody Disgusting’s Boo Crew Podcast and has stated that he looked at Guzikowski’s script and said, “… it was good. It was sort of a remake of the original, and that’s what I’d want to do, kind of remake the original, with the mom, and the camp, and all the stuff.” As Friday the 13th is so beloved, it’s sure to have a continuance whenever the courts decide to free the movie rights from limbo.
Next: Jason X’s Brutal Ice Kill: Can It Really Happen?
Source: Friday the 13th: The Franchise
