The stars of The Blair Witch Project have asked for more pay for their work on the original film and “meaningful discussions” about a reboot or sequel, after it was announced that the horror film would be revived.
On Saturday, actors Ray Hance (formerly Heather Donahue), Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams wrote an open letter to Lionsgate, the studio that currently owns the Blair Witch series.
letter published in Leonard’s Facebook pagedemanded “retroactive and prospective balance payments equal to the amounts that would have been originally allocated” to the three actors for their roles in the 1999 film. [actors’ union] Sag Aftra’ claims that it did not have “adequate union or legal representation at the time of the film’s production.”
The actors were also asked for their creative input on the Blair Witch series. The series has so far spawned two more films, multiple novels, a comic book, a video game series, and an upcoming revival announced this month by Lionsgate in collaboration with popular horror studio Blumhouse. There is.
“Our film has now been rebooted twice, and both times were disappointing,” the open letter reads. “As the insider who created Blair Witch…we are your one and only greatest secret weapon, and until now we have been underutilized!”
The third and final request in the letter is the creation of a US$60,000 (A$93,000) annual grant to “assist unknown or aspiring genre filmmakers in making their first feature film.” Met.
The total amount of the grant reflects the original budget of the 1999 film, which grossed more than $248 million worldwide.
Hans, Leonard, and Williams were unknown during the production of The Blair Witch Project, an independent film directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. The actors improvised much of their dialogue and also participated in marketing stunts for the film, including appearing on missing person posters to blur the line between fiction and reality.
The film’s IMDb page listed the actors as “missing and presumed dead” before and after the film’s release.
The Blair Witch Project reignited the found footage genre after studio Artisan Entertainment bought the distribution rights for $1 million. Artisan Entertainment was acquired by Lionsgate in 2003.
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in Instagram post After Lionsgate announced earlier this month that it would be remaking Blair Witch, Leonard announced that he and his two co-stars would each receive $300,000 in exchange for outright ownership of the original film. He said he was paid.
“I’m so proud of our little punk rock movie,” Leonard wrote at the time. “But at this point, it’s 25 years of disrespect from people who have pocketed most of the profits from our work, and I find it disgusting and undignified.”
The actors’ letters received the following support: Accompanying statements from Coach Myrick and Coach Sanchezis also the producer of the film.
“As the literal face of what has become a franchise, [the actors’] “His likeness, voice and real name are inextricably linked to The Blair Witch Project,” they wrote. “While we celebrate the legacy of the film, we equally believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring connection to the series.”
Blumhouse chief executive Jason Blum previously spoke about Blair Witch’s influence on his studio’s films, saying, “I don’t think paranormal activity would exist if Blair Witch didn’t exist in the first place.” ” he said.
Lionsgate declined to comment on the open letter.
