“Blair Witch Project” reboot: Stars of the original demand fair compensation

“Blair Witch Project” reboot
Stars of the original demand fair pay

Joshua Leonard (48), Michael C. Williams (50) and Heather Donahue (49) claim their share in the success of “Blair Witch Project”. After all, the three actors contributed to the success of the 1999 horror cult film with their largely improvised dialogues.

The actors are up Leonard’s Facebook account published a catalog of demands. They demand that the production company Lionsgate make “retroactive and future residual payments”. The amount is said to correspond to the salary they would have received if they had been in the SAG-AFTRA union at the time. 25 years ago they had no union or legal support.

Performers bring themselves into the conversation as a secret weapon

Leonard, Donahue and Williams not only want retroactive financial compensation, but also a say in the future. They want to be consulted on all upcoming projects and products promoted with their name or image. They come into play as a secret weapon because hardly anyone has so much expertise and knows what the fans want. They note that a sequel (2000) and a reboot (2016) failed with fans and critics. They were not involved in either film.

Third, the trio brings a kind of “Blair Witch” scholarship into play. Lionsgate should pay an aspiring horror filmmaker $60,000 every year, the amount that “Blair Witch Project” is said to have once cost. The makers behind the surprise hit led by director Eduardo Sanchez (55) have joined the initiative of their actors. “As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices and real names are inextricably linked to ‘Blair Witch Project,'” reads the statement, which Leonard also posted on Facebook.

Next reboot of “Blair Witch Project” is coming

The reason for the actors’ offensive is another reboot of “Blair Witch Project”. Lionsgate recently announced the project at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The horror specialists from Blumhouse (“Paranormal Activity”) are on board. The new “Blair Witch” should be the start of a series that will breathe new life into shockers from Lionsgate (including “Saw”, “The Descent”).

As soon as the new edition was announced, Joshua Leonard expressed his displeasure. Lionsgate and Blumhouse advertised their project with the likenesses of the original stars without asking their permission. The culmination of “25 years of disrespect,” as Leonard complained via Instagram.

The original distributor claimed to the actors that the film would lose money rather than make money. Externally, the distributors are said to have advertised the film as the most profitable indie film of all time. With grosses of $250 million on a mini-budget, “Blair Witch Project” is actually considered one of the most lucrative films ever. According to Leonard, the actors each received a severance package of $300,000.

“Blair Witch Project” started the boom in found footage horror in 1999. In other words, films that are based on supposedly real and accidentally found video material. To promote it, the creators launched one of the first campaigns to include the Internet. Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams and Heather Donahue, who appear in the film using their real names, have been reported missing.

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