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It's quite a banner year for Lionsgate as the studio is set to work with Blumhouse to remake the iconic horror movie Blair Witch Project, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The project is part of a multifilm deal between Blumhouse and Lionsgate for the former to reimagine classics from the latter. The two entertainment studios previously collaborated on the movie Imaginary released last month which has earned $38.2 million to date.
The Blair Witch is back
The original The Blair Witch Project was released in 1999 and has long been considered as one of the most commercially successful movie ever. Its budget was at $35,000 and went to earn a worldwide box office gross of $249 million.
It then ushered the found-footage trend. The film also had a 2000 sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, and a follow-up in 2016, Blair Witch. Roy Lee produced the 2016 movie and will be part of the remake.
The first movie followed the story of three student filmmakers who go to the BlackHills near Burkittsville, Maryland in 1994. They were there to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch.
The students disappear, however their equipment and footage are found a year later. The movie is ostensibly their “found footage.”
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival midnight Jan. 23, 1999. As part of the promotional marketing campaign, production noted the actors as either “missing” or “deceased.”
Lionsgate's Adam Fogelson and Blumhouse's Jason Blum announced the news. “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,” Fogelson said.
Blum acknowledged how Blair Witch kicked the door open for his own found-footage blockbuster 2007's Paranormal Activity.
“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,” Blum said.
Fogelson added, “We are thrilled kick this partnership off with a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation.”
