2003’s Freddy vs. Jason remains a fan favorite for pitting two iconic horror characters together in a battle for supremacy, albeit with an open-ended conclusion. Although we’re also hearing that a reboot of the movie might be on the cards, it seems that the original writers of Freddy vs. Jason are keen to develop a sequel. The question of how a follow-up film could work came up in a Twitter Q&A with Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, and it appears that they’re still actively trying to make it happen.
In particular, Shannon and Swift were asked about an alternate ending to their screenplay where Pinhead from Hellraiser stepped in to the fight between Freddy and Jason. The writers had this to say: “Not gonna tell you as we still want to get it made!”, before going on to comment that:
“We would always love to do another one. But it’s always good to get fresh eyes on the material, no? We’ve had our day. We’ve written for Jason more than any other writer, I think. Let someone new come in and give it fresh blood!”
The latter remark seems to support what we’ve heard about a reboot, which could be one of the projects that come out of the current pitches being taken by the Wes Craven estate for a new A Nightmare on Elm Street installment. Whether or not Freddy vs. Jason 2 or a remake becomes a reality, however, depends on there being some resolution to the long-running legal dispute over the Friday the 13th franchise.
For those not in the know, there were many potential ideas that didn’t make it into the final version of Freddy vs. Jason, which had been a possibility as far back as the 1980s. Some of the most unusual takes included a boxing match in Hell attended by Adolf Hitler and Ted Bundy, and a courtroom drama. Indeed, the Pinhead pitch had the intriguing idea of Camp Crystal Lake ending up in Hell, and even attracting the interest of the Cenobites.
Of course, there were also planned sequel ideas to Freddy vs. Jason, including the great-sounding Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, which was adapted into a comics series instead. However, given the legal status of the Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises right now, and with standalone movies also an option before any mashup, we don’t expect to see a new Freddy vs. Jason anytime soon.
