Although it’s still not exactly clear what form the next big screen Friday the 13th entry will take (be it sequel, prequel, remake or otherwise), The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that the upcoming franchise entry has scored a new screenwriter in “Hannibal” co-producer Nick Antosca. Antosca’s credits also include the series “Last Resort” and “Believe.” Antosca will rewrite the current draft of the film, previously scripted by Richard Naing and Ian Goldberg, which is on track for a May 13, 2016 release. That date, by the way, is the only Friday the 13th in 2016 and the last summertime Friday the 13th until 2018.
One of the more popular entries in the slasher genre, the first Friday the 13th was released in 1980 and followed a series of brutal murders of teen counselors at Camp Crystal Lake. The killer was ultimately revealed to be Pamela Voorhees, a mother whose son, Jason, drowned in the lake years earlier due to the negligence of the camp’s staff. As the cinematic series progressed, Jason himself became the franchise’s iconic hockey masking wearing, machete wielding killer.
The Friday the 13th franchise currently consists of ten original “solo” films, the 2003 crossover Freddy vs. Jason, and, most recently, the 2009 reboot. There was also a short-lived television series that, despite its title, was unconnected to the plot of the film franchise.
Set to be directed by V/H/S helmer David Bruckner, the new Friday the 13th is rumored to incorporate some level of “found footage” into its plot and the trade also alleges that the storyline will provide some kind of origin story for Jason Voorhees’ supernatural abilities.
Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are producing the new film through their Platinum Dunes, which also produced the 2009 film.
