Original Co-Director Claims ‘Blair Witch Project’ Being Developed as TV Series

After two somewhat disappointing sequels, The Blair Witch Project might be continued as a TV series, according to one of the film’s co-creators, Eduardo Sanchez.

“For us, it’s a very natural thing to go and say, ‘Hey, let’s do a frickin’ Blair Witch show,’” Sanchez told the Diminishing Returns podcast. “You can say it’s from the original creators and we can bring in a whole bunch of interesting directors to direct episodes.”

When pressed for details about how the TV series would play out, the filmmaker got much coyer.

“Well, you know, I can’t really discuss,” Sanchez confessed. “I think that the idea of a Blair Witch anthology has always been very – just a really interesting thing. You’re close. You’re in the ballpark. You know, and I think it might be one of those things that might be – you know – the more you think about it, you’re like, ‘That might be the perfect… a TV show.’ You know? So, we’ll see what happens, but I think that’s the next big thing for Blair Witch. Probably TV.”

The original film, which Sanchez made with Daniel Myrick, changed not only the world of horror films, but of filmmaking in general.

The film was marketed as footage that was found deep in the woods of Burkittsville, MD, going so far as to have the actors avoid doing any publicity to promote the picture. Audiences who watched the “found footage” saw the story unfold of three student filmmakers heading into the woods to discover the origins of a mythical “Blair Witch,” only to begin experiencing supernatural occurrences.

The film was a huge success, not only based on its cultural impact, but also due to how much money it made vs. what it cost to make. The success resulted in Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 hitting theaters the following year, which was a critical and financial disappointment.

Last year saw the release of Blair Witch, another attempt at the found footage format of filmmaking, which was a sequel to the original. Whereas the original film relied on subtlety to tell its story, Blair Witch went all-out for its scares, creating another disappointment for devout fans.

While Sanchez might seem hopeful about continuing the mythology, it’s unclear if the general public has the same passion he has.

[H/T Diminishing Returns]