The original stars of The Blair Witch Project have penned a letter to Lionsgate asking for more compensation for their work on the original film, as well as "meaningful consultation" on future projects.
As reported by Variety, Joshua Leonard, Michael Williams, and Rei Hance (formerly Heather Donahue) released a public statement on Saturday, April 20, outlining a list of requests for Lionsgate after the studio recently announced a partnership with Blumhouse for a new Blair Witch movie that would revive the horror franchise again.
"Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective," the trio noted in their proposal. "Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love and want for 25 years, we're your single greatest, yet thus-far unutilized secret-weapon!"
The group called on Lionsgate to provide them with retroactive and future residual payments "equivalent to the sum that would've been allotted through SAG-AFTRA (The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made."
They also asked the studio to approach them with "meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael and Josh's names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere."
Last but not least, the actors want Lionsgate to launch "a 60K grant" for aspiring filmmakers. The requested sum is the same amount as the budget that the original 1999 horror film acquired, but the trio now want the studio to pay it out yearly "to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making their first feature film."
The Blair Witch Project directors Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick, producers Gregg Hale and Robin Cowie, and co-producer Michael Monello also shared a statement.
"While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate's right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams," the statement read. "As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film's authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world."
The statement continued: "We celebrate our film's legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise."
The Blair Witch Project grossed $248 million at the worldwide box office. It spawned two follow-ups: 2000's poorly reviewed sequel Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, after which the actors sued Artisan Entertainment for using their names and likenesses, and 2016's Blair Witch, a direct sequel to the original movie.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/the-blair-witch-project-cast-lionsgate-retroactive-residuals-consultation-future-projects