The original stars of The Blair Witch Project, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams, have come together to make a public proposal to Lionsgate following the studio’s partnership with Blumhouse for a reboot of the iconic horror film. The trio is demanding retroactive and future residual payments, meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch projects, and the creation of a grant for aspiring filmmakers.
Donahue, Leonard, and Williams are asking for residuals for their acting services in the original film, equivalent to what would have been allotted through SAG-AFTRA had they had proper union or legal representation at the time. They are also requesting to be consulted on any future Blair Witch reboots, sequels, prequels, toys, games, rides, escape rooms, etc., where their names and likenesses will be used for promotional purposes.
The trio expressed disappointment in the two previous reboots of The Blair Witch Project, stating that neither film was made with significant creative input from the original team. They believe that as the insiders who created the Blair Witch, they are the studio’s greatest yet unutilized secret weapon.
In addition to residual payments and creative consultation, Donahue, Leonard, and Williams are asking for the creation of “The Blair Witch Grant.” This grant would have a prize of $60k, equivalent to the original film’s budget, and would be awarded to an unknown or aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making their first feature film. The grant is not a development fund, so Lionsgate would not own any rights to the project.
The post also included a statement from the directors and producers of The Blair Witch Project, Eduardo Sánchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hole, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello. These filmmakers expressed their respect for Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property but emphasized the significant contributions of the original cast. They believe that the faces of the original cast are inseparably tied to the franchise and have defined the film’s authenticity.
The stars of The Blair Witch Project are standing up for their rights and contributions to the iconic horror film. They are demanding what they believe they are owed in terms of residuals and creative consultation, as well as advocating for the support of aspiring filmmakers through “The Blair Witch Grant.” It remains to be seen how Lionsgate will respond to these demands and whether they will give the original cast the recognition and compensation they are asking for.
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