A new version of “The Blair Witch Project” is in development as part of a new partnership between Blumhouse and Lionsgate…
Prepare to get lost in the woods again….
Blumhouse has struck a multi-film deal with Lionsgate to reimagine many of the horror films from the studio’s archives starting with an updated version of “The Blair Witch Project.”
The original film released in 1999 essentially jumpstarted the “found footage” genre after Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez teamed up with a tiny budget and an idea for a horror movie that would take three film students deep into the woods in Maryland in search of the mythical Blair Witch. After they get lost, the group starts encountering supernatural phenomenon all around them until they are picked off, one by one.
The viral marketing for the original film was so authentic that many theater goers believed that the footage was actually real and these students went missing filming this documentary.
The film ended up earning over $248 million at the box office and spawned a pair of sequels, which weren’t nearly as well received or profitable.
Now Blumhouse will take a stab at a new version of “The Blair Witch Project” under the pact with Lionsgate.
“I’m very grateful to Adam and the team at Lionsgate for letting us play in their sandbox,” Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum said in a statement. “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. 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.”
There’s no word on who will be involved with “The Blair Witch Project” reboot, although there have bene plenty of horror filmmakers who have previously volunteered to head up a project. For now, we’ll have to wait and see but a new “Blair Witch” is on the way sooner rather than later.
