Friday the 13th Legal Disputes Will Likely Extend Well Into 2020
Fans who have been following the legal drama in regards to the ownership of the rights to the [...]
Fans who have been following the legal drama in regards to the ownership of the rights to the Friday the 13th franchise will have to wait patiently for quite some time to see the matter settled, as the current deliberations likely won't conclude until spring of next year. What it boils down to is that director Sean S. Cunningham argues that he owns the rights to the franchise, having hired Victor Miller to craft a script based on the film's title, while Miller argues that, having created the core components of the 12-film franchise, deserves more of the ownership. While a judge sided with Miller, Cunningham is appealing the decision.
What happens next? Sean will file a reply brief by 9/28. The court will schedule oral arguments, probably in Jan or Feb 2020. We would then most likely have a decision in May or June 2020 (keep in mind that the court does what it wants and these are only educated guesses). 8/
— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) September 4, 2019
Attorney Larry Zerner, who actually starred in Friday the 13th Part III, has been chronicling the legal battles and breaking down the latest developments for fans of the series. Zerner recently gave a lengthy update in a thread on Twitter about the current situation, noting that, while it's only an educated guess, we might not have a decision on the matter until June of 2020.
The last film in the franchise was 2009's reboot, though an unnamed sequel was reportedly being developed in 2017, which got pushed to 2018, and was ultimately scrapped. More recently, fans have enjoyed playing a Friday the 13th video game, which united all corners of the series' lore, with the legal dispute preventing that game from adding already-created content.
Actor Kane Hodder has the distinction of being the only performer to play Jason Voorhees more than once in the series, starring in four different installments. Earlier this summer, the actor offered a message for fans dismayed by the legal disputes.
"I think both of them realize the potential for fans that is being missed," Hodder shared with ComicBook.com. "They're both business people and see things differently and unfortunately their priority is not the fans, it's more business. And I just really hope they can figure it out so we can get the rest of the game content out there and do one more movie. And I would say to the fans, don't give up yet because we thought things were dead in the past and they came back. So, just like Jason, don't give up quite yet. Hang in there. Keep hoping for me to come back and kill motherfuckers again."
Stay tuned for updates on the future of the Friday the 13th series.
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