In 1999, “The Blair Witch Project,” written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, took the world by storm. For the past 25 years, the found footage genre has dominated horror, due to the film’s low budget but high return at the box office. Lionsgate and Blumhouse announced at CinemaCon that they are partnering on another entry into “The Blair Witch Project” franchise.
This upcoming movie will be part of a larger multi-movie deal between the studios. The goal is to reimagine “horror classics from the Lionsgate library,” according to a press release.
“We are thrilled to kick this partnership off with a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation,” Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said. “We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with them on this and other projects we look forward to revealing soon.”
History of the Franchise
“The Blair Witch Project,” has already been reimagined for modern audiences once before with 2016’s “Blair Witch.” The film’s producer Roy Lee will return alongside Jason Blum of Blumhouse.
“I’m a huge admirer of The Blair Witch Project, which brought the idea of found-footage horror to mainstream audiences and became a true cultural phenomenon,” Blum said. “I don’t think there would have been a Paranormal Activity had there not first been a Blair Witch, so this feels like a truly special opportunity and I’m excited to see where it leads.”
2007’s “Paranormal Activity” was also the first major hit that Blum had with his production company. It has now spawned seven sequels and spin-offs becoming a full-blown horror franchise.
“The Blair Witch Project” was followed up by 2000’s “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2,” directed by Joe Berlinger. Then it was rebooted in 2016 with “Blair Witch,” directed by Adam Wingard.
We’ll keep you posted on updates about “The Blair Witch Project” reimaging as they become available.
