Does a Blumhouse Release Date Signal a ‘Friday the 13th’ Reboot?

Whether they are producing their own films or distributing other productions, Blumhouse has brought audiences some of the most successful genre films of the last decade. After announcing a trio of release dates without revealing those films’ titles, is it possible that one of these projects could be a Friday the 13th reboot?

The release date in question is December 13, 2019, which is only slightly less than two years away. With this being a Friday the 13th and with no plans at any studio for a new chapter in the slasher series, it could be Blumhouse’s attempt at making a move with the series.

One of the big indicators that the studio could be attempting to revive the project comes from Blumhouse founder himself, Jason Blum, during an interview promoting this year’s Insidious: The Last Key.

“You know, I really wanted to do Friday the 13th. I would love to do that movie,” Blum told CinePOP of a franchise he’d like to revive. “Maybe someday we’ll get do to that one.”

Wanting to adapt a franchise is vastly different from having the means to revive it, yet Blumhouse is one of the few studios that could tackle the property and build excitement that their approach would be different from previous films in the series.

In May of 2016, Blumhouse surprised horror fans by announcing they had secured the rights to the Halloween franchise, which hadn’t seen a new film since 2009, and they were bringing back original director John Carpenter to serve as executive producer. Similarly, the last Friday the 13th film, which was a reboot, was released in 2009.

Over the last few years, there have been multiple starts and stops with various Friday the 13th projects, some reportedly taking a found footage approach, some taking place in the winter and some incorporating the idea that Jason had a twin. Ultimately, all of these projects have fallen through and there are no announced plans for any new Friday the 13th film.

These clues all sound promising, but other than Blum’s interest in the project, nothing is too concrete. Last October, Blumhouse released Happy Death Day on Friday the 13th and have also shifted the release schedule of the upcoming Truth or Dare to debut on Friday, April 13. More than trying to create an exciting event in which the Friday the 13th series returns on a Friday the 13th, Blumhouse seems much more interested in releasing films on the superstitious day, no matter what the property may be.

The franchise began in 1980, with each film featuring coeds being killed in a manner of ways, most often as punishment for promiscuous sex and drug use. The original film spawned 10 sequels and a reboot.

Stay tuned for details about the development of a new Friday the 13th film.

[H/T The Hollywood Reporter]