The stars of The Blair Witch Project have come together with a public proposal to Lionsgate after the studio recently announced a partnership with Blumhouse for a reboot of the 1999 horror sensation.
Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams wrote in a statement on Saturday that they’re asking Lionsgate for retroactive and future residual payments, “meaningful consultation” on any future Blair Witch projects and an annual $60,000 grant for “an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making their first feature film.”
“Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective,” they wrote in part. “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 unutilized secret-weapon!”
The trio’s post also had a statement from the directors and producers of 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, including Eduardo Sánchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hole, Robin Cowie and Michael Monello.
“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,” the statement read. “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.”
The statement continued, “We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.
A spokesperson for Lionsgate had no comment.
The Blair Witch Project was initially released by Artisan Entertainment in 1999, which Lionsgate acquired in December 2003. Lionsgate did not produce or distribute the original movie.
Earlier this week, Leonard was among the cast and crewmembers from the original film who shared their frustrations over their lack of involvement in the future of the series. “I’m so proud of our little punk-rock movie, and I LOVE the fans who keep the flames burning,” Leonard wrote on Instagram. “But at this point, it’s 25 years of disrespect from the folks who’ve pocketed the lion’s share (pun intended) of the profits from OUR work, and that feels both icky and classless.”
The full statement from Donahue, Leonard and Williams follows.
“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 unutilized 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 their first feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence @lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.”