Found footage masterpiece The Blair Witch Project came along and changed the game back in 1999, subsequently spawning its own sprawling universe of media, including official follow-up films in 2000 and 2016 as well as multiple books and video games that have served to deepen the lore. But how much longer do we have to wait for another Blair Witch movie?

As you may recall, it had been reported last April that Lionsgate was looking to relaunch the Blair Witch Project franchise, and Production Weekly brings us an update this week.

Production Weekly informs us that Oliver Park has been hired to direct “Untitled Blair Witch Sequel” for Lionsgate, and it’s reportedly targeting a late summer/fall shoot. Park is a British writer/director who helmed last year’s The Offering, and his directing credits also include “Strange Events” (2015), Still (2017), and A Night of Horror: Nightmare Radio (2019).

Of particular note, the production company attached to the project is Haxan Films, the team behind the original Blair Witch Project. These details have not been confirmed by Lionsgate at this time, but both Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez are listed as producers. The original found footage classic from 1999 was written and directed by Myrick and Sánchez.

Blair Witch (2016), directed by Adam Wingard, wasn’t exactly a big hit at the box office, but the original film’s directors have never given up hope on someday returning to the franchise to pump new life into it. Oddly enough, creators Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez didn’t have much creative input on either of the follow-up films, despite having a wealth of ideas.

Twenty five years after the release of the original genre-changing classic, Lionsgate and Blumhouse announced out of CinemaCon today that they will partner on the development and production of a new The Blair Witch Project movie as the first film in a multi-picture pact with Blumhouse reimagining horror classics from the Lionsgate library.

The announcement was made today by Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, and Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse.

Based at Universal Pictures, where it has a first look deal, Blumhouse is the gold standard in the horror space, generating blockbuster results from a string of modestly-budgeted films including the Paranormal Activity franchise, Insidious, The Purge, Sinister, Halloween, Five Nights at Freddy’s and M3GAN along with award winners Get Out and BlacKkKlansman. Blumhouse films have grossed nearly $6 billion at the worldwide box office.

Blum will team with producer Roy Lee on the new Blair Witch Project movie; Lee previously produced the 2016 film Blair Witch, the most recent installment in the franchise.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with Jason many times over the years. We forged a strong relationship on The Purge when I was at Universal, and we launched STX with his film The Gift. There is no one better at this genre than the team at Blumhouse,” said Fogelson. “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. We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with them on this and other projects we look forward to revealing soon.”

“I’m very grateful to Adam and the team at Lionsgate for letting us play in their sandbox. 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,” said Blum. “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.”

Found footage masterpiece The Blair Witch Project changed the game back in 1999, subsequently spawning its own sprawling universe of media, including official follow-up films in 2000 and 2016 as well as multiple books and video games that have deepened the lore.

The directors and producers of the groundbreaking 1999 horror film release a separate statement in support: 'We believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise'

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Leonard said that the actors — who shot and improvised the independent movie over roughly a week on a shoestring budget, using their real names for their characters — each made $300,000 from a buyout of their ownership points on the film, which went on to gross $248 million worldwide. In 2002, the actors sued Artisan Entertainment for using their names and likenesses in the studio’s 2000 sequel, “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.”

In their most recent statement, Leonard, Williams and Donahue (who now goes by Rei Hance) call on Lionsgate to provide them with retroactive and future residual payments “equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.”

They also ask for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

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The full statements from the cast and the filmmakers are below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.