You can’t kill Jason Voorhees and though a recent lawsuit did tie up the game based on the world of the character, it seems that an end is near.
According to a recent post on Twitter from lawyer Larry Zerner, screenwriter Victor Miller’s attorney has revealed that director Sean Cunningham, who helmed the original film, has until October 31st to file a notice of appeal on earlier rulings which granted Miller (who was hired by Cunningham to flesh out the slasher pic in the ’70s) ownership of elements of the Friday The 13th script.
For those of you wondering about what’s next in the #FridayThe13th lawsuit (Horror v. Miller), Sean has until October 31 (irony alert) to file a Notice of Appeal. If no Notice is filed, then they made a deal. If not, the fight continues (for now).
Of course, this doesn’t actually mean anything at the end of the day. Yes, it’s held up development of additional content in the series, but Miller only has ownership of the original film as of now. Jason, who’s really the star of the series, didn’t appear until the second movie and didn’t get his iconic hockey mask until the third. If Cunningham loses the name, he could just make up a new origin for the character and release films under the “Jason” banner as has been done before.
This isn’t the first time such a quandary has effected a well known property from the world of ’80s horror, either. For those unfamiliar with the Child’s Play series, the first movie is still with MGM due to the company selling the rights to the franchise after the first release but opting to keep it in their catalog. Hence why a reboot’s currently in development alongside a television show being backed by Universal.
It can definitely be frustrating for fans when things are under different companies and can only serve to confuse audiences, so we’re hopeful that Miller and Cunningham can resolve this Friday the 13th mess sooner rather than later.
