Friday the 13th news could be coming this year, says veteran horror producer

News
By published

The legally embattled franchise could be making a long-awaited return

Friday the 13th Part 6
(Image credit: Paramount)

Friday the 13th fans could soon be returning to Camp Crystal Lake at long last, according to a veteran horror producer with credits on It, The Ring, The Grudge, and loads more.

In an appearance on Bloody Disgusting's The Boo Crew podcast, horror producer Roy Lee seemed to tease what would be the first new Friday the 13th movie since the criminally underrated 2009 remake. "That one is something that I would love to talk about. You may be hearing something by year's end… on that front," Lee said.

Of course, Lee didn't specifically say what sort of news we should be expecting, but the fact that he seems to be in the know suggests a new project might already be in the works. And considering Lee is very much a movie and TV producer, whatever he's privy to is likely to be a new film or series in the franchise, and not something like a video game or comic book adaptation. For what it's worth, Friday the 13th: The Game publisher Gun Media has moved on from Jason Voorhees and is working with developer Sumo Digital on a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre game.

Since 2018, the prolific Friday the 13th franchise has been tied up in a messy legal battle between the original movie's director, Sean Cunningham, and its writer, Victor Miller. We don't have any concrete news to share yet, but considering Lee's notable profile in the horror community, it's safe to expect some news on that front soon, whether that's this year or next.

Lee's producing credits go all the way back to the 2002 American remake of The Ring, which he executive produced. He was also EP on The Ring 2, the American remake of The Grudge (Ju-On in Japan), The Grudge 2, and a few other J-horror flicks. More recently, he's had a hand in producing the 2016 Blair Witch reboot, 2017's It, It Chapter Two, the 2020 Grudge remake, and Godzilla vs. Kong. Needless to say, it would be very, very interesting to see his take on Jason.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.