Original Blair Witch Filmmakers Are Pretty Bummed To Be Left Out Of The New Movie
The Blair Witch will soon descend from Maryland's Black Hills woods to terrify a whole new generation, and wouldn't you know, the guys responsible for the first movie aren't all that thrilled about not being involved. Horror movie remakes, reboots, and legacy sequels will continue to abound as Hollywood doubles down on the genre's popularity. At CinemaCon 2024, for instance, we got our first look at the upcoming "Speak No Evil" remake, which looks decent but raises the question that so often accompanies these American rehashes of international movies: "Why?"
That appears to be the same question those responsible for the original "Blair Witch Project" are asking following the announcement that a new "Blair Witch" movie is in the works from Lionsgate and Blumhouse. The seminal 1999 original popularized the found-footage genre and left an entire generation scarred by memories of believing its disturbing events were actually real. Since it debuted, we've had two lackluster sequels, the most recent of which arrived in 2016 and, though it paid loving homage to the first movie, failed to recapture the commercial and critical success of that first film. The less said about the 2000 sequel, "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" the better — suffice it to say that no one, including those who worked on the original, was too impressed, especially since they had little to no involvement with either sequel.
Now, with Lionsgate and Blumhouse relaunching the franchise as part of a multi-film deal between the studios, some of the "Blair Witch Project" alum are speaking out about once again seemingly being locked out of the latest attempt to emulate the success of their 1999 classic.
Lionsgate and Blumhouse are forging ahead without the original crew
Created and co-directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, "The Blair Witch Project" was made on a micro-budget of just $35,000 and went on to make a stunning $248.3 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest financial successes in Hollywood history. So, if you're asking why Lionsgate can't just let this one go, there's your answer. Unfortunately, both sequels, while still relative financial successes, only made $47 million and $45 million respectively. Really, the only truly worthwhile modern entry in the franchise was the terrifying "Blair Witch" video game from 2019. Which makes it even more baffling that when it came time to start pumping out sequels, the studio execs didn't tap the original creators for some ideas.
The only person to work in any capacity on the sequels was Ben Rock (though Sánchez and Myrick were given executive producer credits on both sequels), the production designer for "The Blair Witch Project" who also helped craft the infamous Sci-Fi channel mockumentary that helped establish the myth of the Blair Witch as a real piece of folklore. Rock was asked to consult in the lead-up to the 2000 sequel's release, but otherwise, those responsible for delivering such an original and culturally significant hit in 1999 have since been nowhere near the franchise.
So, with the news that we're about to get yet another Blair Witch film, you can't really fault any of them for being a little ticked off. Rock himself spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the debacle, revealing that no one from the original "Blair Witch Project" team knew about the upcoming film prior to its CinemaCon announcement, and that wasn't all he had to say.
The Blair Witch announcement didn't sit well with the original team
Ben Rock told THR that the announcement of a new "Blair Witch" film is "bittersweet," going on to tell the outlet:
"I do think that what has happened twice now was that the original creators were overlooked, and other people were brought in, all of whom were good. But neither one of the sequels connected with audiences the way they wanted it to connect. And so it might at least be worth talking to some of the original creators."
The "Blair Witch Project" production designer went on to explain that while he appreciates being "too close to something" can often be a drawback when trying to forge a new path for a franchise, he points out that, thus far, bringing in new people "didn't work." Rock also said that, with regards to the 2000 sequel, "They didn't make the hit that they wanted to make," but remained hopeful that he, Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez, and others from the original crew might get a call. Though as he states, so far, "they haven't talked to any of us."
All of which would be bad enough if it was just Rock speaking out. But as THR reports, "Blair Witch Project" co-producer Mike Monello tweeted out his distaste for the latest announcement, tagging Jason Blum, Lionsgate, and Blumhouse, writing:
"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?"
Not exactly the kind of endorsement Lionsgate and Blumhouse were likely hoping for. Unfortunately for them, that's still not quite the end of it.
Will Lionsgate and Blumhouse reach out to the creators?
Joshua Leonard, who played a fictionalized version of himself in the 1999 original, evidently learned about the planned Blair Witch revival film after being sent a screenshot of a report on the Lionsgate presentation at CinemaCon. Worse still, the Variety article he was sent featured his own face as the header image, something which Leonard pointed out in an Instagram post.
In the post, the actor stated that he was "So proud of our little punk-rock movie," but took the studios to task, writing, "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." The extensive Instagram caption paints a pretty damning picture of the issue, alluding to court cases and financial struggles in the wake of the original film's release.
At this stage, then, it seems as if Lionsgate and Blumhouse might benefit from reaching out to some of those involved with creating the franchise. As Jason Blum himself said during the CinemaCon announcement, "I don't think there would have been a 'Paranormal Activity' had there not first been a 'Blair Witch,'" so it seems odd not to want to connect with the people responsible. The ending of "The Blair Witch Project" is as maddening and mysterious today as it was 20 years ago, and still holds up, suggesting that the filmmakers are more than capable of creating something that could work in the modern age, and could be a big asset to the film.