‘Blair Witch’ Movie Reboot Adds Original’s Stars, Directors to Filmmaking Team (Exclusive) - The Hollywood Reporter

Logo text Lionsgate‘s forthcoming reimagining of The Blair Witch Project is conjuring up its previous creative voices. Dylan Clark is set to helm a new take on the horror property from a script by Chris Thomas Devlin that the director is rewriting. Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, who starred in the original 1999 found-footage hit, will serve as executive producers alongside the first movie’s directing team of Eduardo Sánchez, Daniel Myrick and Gregg Hale. In 2024, Lionsgate and Blumhouse announced at CinemaCon that a new feature version of The Blair Witch Project was in the works through the companies’ multi-film deal that sees Blumhouse reimagine Lionsgate’s horror classics. While speaking at CinemaCon, Lionsgate film boss Adam Fogelson teased “a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation.” blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-article-mid-article-uid0' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ) .setTargeting( 'viewable', 'yes' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("ros\/mid-article") .addSize(,,,,,,,]) .setClsOptimization("minsize") ; }); Related Stories The AI Issue A Hollywood Chief AI Officer Breaks Down the Job TV Starz Orders Texas Black Rodeo Drama From Kirk A. Moore Shortly after the CinemaCon presentation, Leonard — who starred with Williams and Heather Donahue in the original — took to Instagram to express his frustration over his film’s team not being involved in the new movie. Additionally, no one from the first feature worked in any significant way on the 2000 sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, or the 2016 follow-up. Leonard wrote that there had been “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.” Ben Rock, who served as the 1999 movie’s production designer, told THR at the time that he was unhappy about the lack of involvement for the original’s team: “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.” blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-dsk-tab-mid-article2-uid1' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ) .setTargeting( 'viewable', 'yes' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("ros\/mid-article2") .addSize(,,,,,,]) .setClsOptimization("minsize") ; }); This new development signals unity between the original team and the updated vision, bringing together the mythology and legacy of the property for the present generation. Reboots have become a key focus for Hollywood studios but have also spurred debate, particularly when the creators are not enlisted for the new versions. Original The Naked Gun director David Zucker, Beauty and the Beast co-director Gary Trousdale and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev are among those to have publicly questioned the need to reboot their projects. The Blair Witch Project was made for a paltry $35,000 (before marketing costs) and became an instant sensation when it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1999. Artisan Entertainment bought the indie feature and released it theatrically that June, with the story centering on three film students who disappear in the woods after setting out to shoot a documentary about the Blair Witch. Collecting $248 million at the global box office ($492 million today), it was a summer phenomenon and one of the year’s 10 highest-grossing titles, not to mention one of the most profitable movies ever made. Atomic Monster‘s James Wan and Blumhouse’s Jason Blum will serve as the reboot’s producers alongside Roy Lee. Also producing are Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath for Divide/Conquer. Executive producing are Michael Clear and Judson Scott for Atomic Monster, with Alayna Glasthal overseeing for the company. Scott O’Brien and Pavan Kalidindi are overseeing the film for Lionsgate, while Phil Strina negotiated the deal on behalf of the studio. Steven Schneider executive produces. blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-thr-article-mid-articleX-uid2' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ) .setTargeting( 'viewable', 'yes' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("ros\/mid-articleX") .addSize(,,,,]) .setLazyLoadMultiplier(2) .setClsOptimization("minsize") ; }); Clark is attached to direct Universal’s feature adaptation of his horror short Portrait of God, with Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele set as producers. Clark is represented by 3 Arts, UTA and Ginsburg Daniels. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day