Fans of the Friday the 13th franchise have had a rough go of it over the last few years, as original installment writer Victor Miller and the original film’s director, Sean S. Cunningham, have duked it out over the Voorhees family plot. Now, finally, after lots of deliberation and stalling, the case will hit an actual courtroom on Thursday, February the 13th, because nothing in this world is perfect, right?
Larry Zerner, current entertainment lawyer and former cast member of Friday the 13th: Part 3 confirmed on Twitter the date and time of the court session. Zerner has been following the case since it started years ago and also offered up a ton of legal insight on the whole debate, having a genuinely partisan look at the debacle. This guy is much more a fan of the franchise than either the plaintiff or the defendant, it seems. But with the case hitting the courts next month, the big debate could be settled by the summer.
Mark Your Calendar! The 2nd Circuit has scheduled oral arguments in Horror Inc. v. Miller (the Friday the 13th case) for February 13 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
— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) January 27, 2020
In my opinion, it’s about dang time. Both Miller and Cunningham are being greedy jerks who’ve been wasting the time of the fans with their bickering over money. Even Larry agrees with me on that one.
Personally, I think the biggest casualty of these two men fighting is the unfortunate suspension of additional content for that not-too-shabby Friday the 13th: The Game from 2017. While nowhere near perfect, I think it’s probably the absolute, hands-down best video game adaptation of a horror franchise out there. Its justification for Jason’s supernatural abilities was clever, and playing with a good group of pals made it quite the ride.
Will a new movie/reboot of the franchise be a good thing, though? Well, maybe. Blumhouse is said to be interested in giving Friday the 13th the Halloween treatment, but keep in mind that the next Jason slashfest is going to be the thirteenth entry in the franchise. That’s a cursed number for a seemingly cursed series. There was already another reboot cancelled in early 2017 just as the court case was picking up steam, after all. But will Mr. Voorhees ever get back on his sickly, seaweeded feet? Only time will tell.