The Blair Witch Project creators Dan Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez have responded to their lack of involvement in the upcoming reboot currently in development. At CinemaCon in April 2024, Blumhouse’s Blair Witch Project was announced, with the aim of being a “new version“in the franchise. At the time of writing, no concrete details have been revealed, other than the lack of involvement from Myrick, Sanchez, and everyone else who helped create the original 1999 horror film. It’s also unclear when the next horror reboot will be released. will be will be released.
Talking to Movie stories, Myrick and Sanchez expressed disappointment at not being involved with Blumhouse’s next project Blair Witch Project film. They explained how they have ideas about how the series could continue, with both calling it “bittersweet“to see the franchise they created evolve without them. They also explained how Lionsgate has consistently made follow-ups that were”moderately successful,” but they think their involvement could help elevate the franchise they created. Check out what Myrick and Sanchez had to say below:
Myrick: It’s always a little bittersweet. I mean, Ed and I have always had follow-up ideas that expand the universe and the world that was created for Blair. We always think that there is a lot to explore in this entire universe.
Sánchez: Like Dan said, it’s bittersweet. We still love IP and have thought about it for over 25 years. And again, we don’t expect to write and direct these films. We understand how Hollywood works and they are always looking for the shiny new thing, the new filmmaker. And there are a lot of super talented people out there who could make a great Blair Witch movie. Being included again would be nice. Even if they don’t hear us. Just thinking – and again, as Dan was saying, we have a small fan base that is dedicated to the original film and it would be good publicity for them to bring us back. it happens.
Myrick: Studios are not your friends. They are a business and therefore we have learned a litmus test in this regard. After that, it’s just the way the business works. I mean, Lionsgate acquired the rights. They made a few attempts at follow-up films that were moderately successful, but we still maintain the naive notion that there are other Blair films to explore that we think would be worthwhile. Certainly for the public, for the fans. Unfortunately, Lionsgate simply hasn’t taken this approach.
What Myrick and Sanchez’s statements say about the upcoming Blair Witch project
The new film will not follow their vision for the franchise
After the success of the original, other two Blair Witch films were released, neither involving Myrick nor Sanchez. The first one was in 2000 Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2which, despite grossing $47.7 million against a budget of $15 million, was panned by critics, currently holding a 14% score on Rotten Tomatoes. A new sequel in 2016, titled Blair Witchignored the events of the previous film, but still only got 38% from critics. However, it was still a financial success, grossing US$45.2 million against a budget of US$5 million, indicating that the series still has the potential to continue.
Myrick and Sanchez’s statements highlight how, despite having ideas about where to take the franchise, they were not involved in the continued evolution of the film they created. Their hopes of one day being consulted on a new Blair Witch Project could indicate that, to break the curse of negative critical reception of its sequels, its contribution would be invaluable. However, as the duo has not yet been contacted by Blumhouse for their new film, it doesn’t look like they will be involved.
Our Take on Myrick and Sanchez’s Lack of Involvement in the Blair Witch Project Reboot
Creators’ contributions could save the franchise
Given his dedication to creating The Blair Witch Projectboth the original film and its memorable marketing material, the creators’ lack of involvement in the reboot is disheartening. As the last two films were not as successful as the original, It seems like it would make sense for the duo to be invited to the group to share ideas about where the series could go. However, with Blumhouse apparently moving forward without them, it appears their input will not be employed in the upcoming reimagining.
Source: Movie stories