Jason goes to court: Lawsuit erupts over Friday the 13th rights

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees Victor Miller

The fate of FRIDAY THE 13TH has been up in the air since the remake came out in 2009, after which the franchise went dormant. However, recent news has shown that there's a chance a new film might go into production this year.

When it rains it pours, and one more roadblock has surfaced for Jason Voorhees' continued adventures. Victor Miller, the screenwriter of the original 1980 film has filed for a termination of his grant of rights, meaning that he wants to reclaim ownership of the property effective July 2018.

The plaintiffs Horror, Inc. and the Manny Company both claim that the script was a work made for hire, an idea created by director Sean S. Cunningham and written according to his intent.

Here's a quote from the complaint:

Miller had never written a horror screenplay prior to his being hired by Cunningham and was guided in the process, and directly supervised, by Cunningham. Accordingly, Miller entered into an employment agreement with the Manny Company pursuant to which Miller wrote a screenplay for the Film as a work for hire (the 'Screenplay').

The complaint is being processed by a federal court in Connecticut, and there's no telling whether or not it will affect the current film rumored to be in production. We'll just have to wait and see how the suit plays out, but it's frustrating that this issue had to arise right when things were looking up for Crystal Lake.

If you are so inclined, you can check out the full complaint RIGHT HERE.

Victor Miller
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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