In the ever-popular horror genre, iconic slasher franchises like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre have received a slew of remakes and reboots over the years — all while Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13th franchise have watched from the shadows and remained stuck in a stage of developmental hell, all thanks to a recent legal battle that brought the franchise to a screeching halt.
The aforementioned lawsuit, which pitted writer Victor Miller against director Sean S. Cunningham, revolved around a copyright issue that restrained the franchise from generating any new content — including movies, television series, and Friday the 13th: The Game. Now, months after the mind-bending lawsuit, Victor Miller has been awarded the rights to the character of Jason Voorhees — and fans are beginning to rub their hands together in anticipation.
The last film in the classic franchise came back in 2009 with Friday the 13th — which, interestingly enough, was a complete reboot. And despite being the twelfth installment in the film series, the movie has since obtained a strong cult following, and many diehard Friday the 13th fans have named it one of the best entries in the franchise.
So, will Friday the 13th get a reboot?
With the lawsuit now over and Victor Miller with the rights in the palm of his hands, folks are convinced that the franchise will be making a comeback — especially after a variety of comments that have trended the idea. In a 2019 video interview, Miller himself stated that he was “hopeful” that more content would be added in the future for Friday the 13th: The Game. And seeing as Miller had hope for the game, many fans believe that he feels the same way about creating new movies in the popular franchise.
In addition, producer Roy Lee — who was once slated to co-produce a reboot of the franchise — recently hinted on Bloody Disgusting’s The Boo Crew Podcast that horror fanatics and Jason Voorhees praisers can expect news of a potential reboot announcement by the end of this year — which could hopefully align for Jason’s return during next year’s spooky season. In addition, a separate Blumhouse Friday the 13th reboot has been teased, and Sean S. Cunningham has also hinted that the franchise could be rebooted in a fresh-faced project.
And while this endless array of rumors could turn out to be nothing more than simple remarks made to be strictly publicity bait, there’s certainly no denying that the potential for Jason Voorhees and the overall franchise to return is seemingly on the table. Of course, it helps knowing Crystal Lake, a prequel set to premiere on Peacock, is also in the works. With the lawsuit settled and the wheels expected to turn, it makes perfect sense why the Friday the 13th franchise will be getting a reboot — and, if we’re lucky enough, we won’t have to wait much longer for further information about a new Jason Voorhees cinematic outing.