The stars of The Blair Witch Project have called for more compensation for their work in the original film, as well as "meaningful consultation" on any reboots and sequels, after it was announced that the horror franchise is being revived yet again. The actors wrote a letter to the studio that now owns the Blair Witch franchise. The letter called for retroactive and future residual payments for the three actors for their work in the 1999 film, but they did not have proper union. The Blair Witch franchise has spawned two more films, multiple novels, comic books, a video game series and an upcoming revival that was announced this month, in collaboration with a popular horror studio. The open letter says that the film was a disappointment and that it was the people who created the Blair Witch who were the greatest.
An annual US$60,000 grant for an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making their first feature film is the third and final request in the letter. The 1999 film went on to make more than $248m at the worldwide box office, and the grant reflects the initial budget. The Blair Witch Project was an independent film directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Snchez. The actors appeared on missing persons posters to blur the lines between fiction and reality. The Blair Witch Project was acquired by Artisan Entertainment. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply and we use reCaptcha to protect our website. 25 years of disrespect from the people who got the lion's share of the profits feels both icky and classless.
The statement from directors Myrick and Snchez, as well as the film's producer, supported the actors' letter. The Blair Witch Project has become a franchise and likenesses, voices and real names are tied to it. The actors deserve to be celebrated for their association with the franchise.
According to the chief executive of Blumhouse, there wouldn't have been a Paranormal Activity had it not been for Blair Witch.
The open letter has not been commented on by Lionsgate.