Today brings a bit of interesting news for horror fans as it looks like a new entry in the Blair Witch franchise may be on the way. That having been said, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be happening soon - if it happens at all. The news comes via The Ankler, with the outlet reporting that Lionsgate is currently seeking a writer (or writers) to pitch a “fresh take” on the franchise. No names have been thrown out there yet, and Lionsgate says it’s not currently in development on a new film officially. This seems to suggest that this venture is in the very early stages.
The report also notes that the studio is not “tied” to the idea of keeping this potential new film as a found-footage horror flick. The found-footage element is what helped make The Blair Witch Project such a gigantic hit back in 1999, as it was incredibly fresh and inventive at the time. But times have changed, and the genre has been done to death in the years since. It may be tough to come up with new ways to make that feel fresh within this series in particular. At the very least, having the playbook open and not being anchored to that method of storytelling might well be helpful to anyone pitching a take.
When last we saw the franchise on the big screen, it was 2016, and director Adam Wingard (The Guest, Godzilla vs. Kong) helmed a secret sequel to the original 1999 classic. Originally billed as The Woods, the film was revealed as Blair Witch at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016. Despite generating some buzz at the screening during the convention, the movie failed to connect the way the studio had hoped, though it still made $48 million at the box office against a $5 million budget. Still, when considering that the original made $248 million against a budget of less than $1 million, that’s not quite what anyone was hoping for. Then again, comparing anything against one of the most profitable films in history is a little unfair, is it not? The less said about 2000’s Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 the better.
It seems that the need for content in the streaming age has, at least in part, sparked the studio’s desire to revive the series once again. That is how we ended up getting Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin on Paramount+, after all. The only other significant detail the report provides is that Lionsgate would seemingly like to have something timed to the 25th anniversary of the original in 2024. They would need to get on the ball, hear some pitches, and get something approved sooner rather than later to hit that mark. Whether or not that actually ends up happening would be dependent on a variety of factors. Unless they keep it secretive again, we may well be hearing more about this in the not-too-distant future, so keep those eyes open.
