Two years have passed since it was announced that a reimagining of the 1999 hit The Blair Witch Project was moving forward under the guidance of Blumhouse Productions – and last month, the project officially found its director: Dylan Clark. A press release was sent out to confirm that Clark will be directing the new Blair Witch Project, and is rewriting the script by Chris Devlin. This press release also revealed that Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, two of the original stars of The Blair Witch Project, as well as the original filmmakers, Eduardo Sánchez, Daniel Myrick, and Gregg Hale, will serve as executive producers on the film, “bringing the full mythology and legacy of the franchise to a new generation of storytelling.“ Leonard and Williams’ co-star Heather Donahue was absent from the list – and now she has explained why she’s not involved with the film.
Who Is Dylan Clark?
If the name Dylan Clark isn’t familiar to you, that may be because Clark hasn’t made a feature film yet. Four months ago, it was reported that Clark is set to make his feature directorial debut with the horror thriller Portrait of God, which is coming our way from Universal Pictures and producers Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele. Written by Clark and Joe Russo (The Inheritance), that movie will be an expansion of Clark’s short film of the same name.
Plot details are being kept under wraps for the time being, but the short follows a religious young woman who discovers the answer to the question, ‘What does God look like?’
Peele is producing Portrait of God alongside Win Rosenfeld through Monkeypaw Productions, with Raimi and Romel Adam producing through Ghost House Pictures.
Clark is also writing to direct an adaptation of his short film Story Time, with Zak Olkewicz and LD Entertainment producing.
Who’s Behind the New Blair Witch?
As for the reimagining of The Blair Witch Project, Atomic Monster’s James Wan and Blumhouse’s Jason Blum are producing the film with Roy Lee, who previously produced the 2016 film Blair Witch. The idea is that this reimagining could kick off a series of Blair Witch movies, taking the franchise into a new era.
Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath are producing for Divide/Conquer. Steven Schneider is an executive producer. Michael Clear and Judson Scott are executive producing for Atomic Monster, with Alayna Glasthal overseeing for the company. Scott O’Brien and Pavan Kalidindi are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.
Lionsgate and Blumhouse have made a multi-picture pact that will see Blumhouse reimagining horror classics from the Lionsgate library – and the development and production of a new The Blair Witch Project is the first project on that slate.
When the project was announced, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams were inspired to start speaking up about the fact that they had never been properly financially compensated for the roles they played into turning the original film into a massive hit that spawned a franchise. They let it be known they they want to receive residuals “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” and they want to be consulted on any future Blair Witch installments… and it sounds like their demands have been met. Several months ago, Williams made a post to social media to confirm that he had buried the hatchet with Lionsgate and Blumhouse. And now, he and Leonard are executive producers on the new film.
Why isn’t Heather Donahue involved?
James Wan was recently quoted as saying, “Getting all the original people that were involved in the original Blair Witch, getting their blessing and getting them involved was very important for all of us. We wanted to pay respect to the legacy of it all.“
That inspired Donahue to write on Facebook, “There’s seems to be some willful confusion about my involvement with the reboot, given … the quote above from James Wan. 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.“
So that’s why she’s not on the list of executive producers. Jason Blum has said that they’re planning to get the Blair Witch Project reboot into theatres in 2027, a year that will also see the release of a Paranormal Activity reboot.
Are you looking forward to the new movie? What do you think of Heather Donahue choosing not to be involved? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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What’s Not Allowed