The Blair Witch Project reboot is slated for a 2027 release.
On Tuesday (June 23), Lionsgate, the studio behind the follow-up to the 1999 found-footage horror-mystery film, took to social media to confirm it will hit the big screen on Sept 24.
Although plot details are being kept under tight wraps, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson promised “a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation”, when the upcoming movie was announced at CinemaCon in 2024.
The 1999 flick – which starred Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C Williams, as fictionalised versions of themselves who disappear into a forest while making a documentary about Blair Witch — grossed almost US$250 million (S$324.2 million) at the worldwide box office against a US$60,000 budget.
Leonard, 51, and Williams, 52, serve as executive producers of the remake alongside the original film’s creators, Eduardo Sanchez, 57, Daniel Myrick, 62, and 60-year-old Gregg Hale.
But 51-year-old Donahue — who now goes by the name Rei Hance — will not be joining her fellow co-stars for the upcoming film due to “difficult long-term questions” about her rights and image.
Earlier this month, she penned on Facebook: “There seems to be some willful confusion about my involvement with the reboot. I want to clarify that I am not participating.
“I was offered an agreement that, for me personally, raised difficult long-term questions about rights, future technological use of identity and voice, the ability to speak freely, and compensation.
“Ultimately, it just wasn’t something I felt comfortable signing. I genuinely wish everyone involved well. But preserving my autonomy mattered more to me.”
It came after producer James Wan, 49, previously suggested that it was “very important” that “all the original people” from the horror classic were “involved” and gave their “blessing” in director Dylan Clark’s new project.
Wan added to IndieWire: “We wanted to pay respect to the legacy of it all.”
Williams previously said he was thrilled to be part of The Blair Witch Project reboot, with its script by Chris Thomas Devlin.
He wrote on X: “Nothin’ but gratitude. Oh, yeah, it’s not a ‘remake’. You just wait. The Witch is back…”
Michael Clear, Judson Scott, 73, and Steven Schneider, 52, also serve as executive producers.
Blumhouse Productions founder-and-CEO Jason Blum, 57, will join Wan, Roy Lee, Adam Hendricks, and Greg Gilreath as producer.
The original movie was promoted through faux police reports and interviews with questions about “missing” students, which was intended to spark debate about whether or not the film was fiction or an actual documentary.
Following its release, it spawned 2000’s Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, and a 2016 remake.
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