{"id":639107,"date":"2026-04-30T18:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639107\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T18:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:26:08","slug":"original-blair-witch-team-added-to-reboot-after-voicing-outrage-the-blair-witch-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639107\/","title":{"rendered":"Original Blair Witch team added to reboot after voicing outrage | The Blair Witch Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The reboot of The Blair Witch Project<\/a> will now boast those involved with the original as producers after they voiced their frustration.<\/p>\n

The 1999 indie smash was made for $35,000 but made $248m, becoming one of the most profitable films ever made.<\/p>\n

In 2024, a new take was announced from Lionsgate in conjunction with Blumhouse, the company behind genre hits such as The Purge, Get Out and Five Nights at Freddy\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Those involved with the original came out to express their annoyance over not being involved with the new version after previously being shut out of the 2000 and 2016 sequels, both of which failed to recapture the critical or commercial success of the first film.<\/p>\n

Joshua Leonard, who was one of the film\u2019s three leads, posted<\/a> on Instagram that it was \u201c25 years of disrespect from the folks who\u2019ve pocketed the lion\u2019s share (pun intended) of the profits from OUR work, and that feels both icky and classless\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ben Rock, who was a production designer on the film, also said<\/a> they had been \u201coverlooked\u201d and suggested that given the sequels both failed to find an audience, it would be wise to involve the original creators for another attempt.<\/p>\n

According to the Hollywood Reporter<\/a>, both Leonard and co-star Michael C Williams will serve as executive producers on the new take alongside Eduardo S\u00e1nchez and Daniel Myrick, who served as the original directing team, and Gregg Hale, who was a producer.<\/p>\n

Heather Donahue, who also starred in the original, previously wrote<\/a> for the Guardian when the 2016 sequel was released. \u201cOn learning of the sequel, I did what any sensible woman would do and drank very nice bourbon in a very nice bathtub while bawling my eyes out,\u201d she wrote. \u201cNothing I do will ever surpass what I did at 24. My name and face are forever going to be someone else\u2019s intellectual property.<\/p>\n

But Leonard added that she was contacted and asked what could be done to show appreciation of her work in the first film. \u201cThey made sure my last name wasn\u2019t used anywhere,\u201d she wrote. In their press materials, their protagonist goes in search of his \u201csister\u201d but they don\u2019t use my name. For all the talk of Hollywood being populated with jerks and sharks, these guys were actually being considerate and were genuinely concerned that this would not be any more disruptive to my life than was inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new film, promised to \u201creintroduce this horror classic for a new generation\u201d, will be directed by Dylan Clark who has previously made horror shorts. Clark is also set to make an adaptation<\/a> of one of his shorts with Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi set as producers.<\/p>\n