The Blair Witch Project changed horror movies 25 years ago and set a new standard for independent filmmaking. It made a whopping $250 million worldwide from a tiny budget of $750,000, leading to a franchise with sequels, comic books, novels, and video games.
In an interview with Film Stories about the new Second Sight Blu-ray box set for The Blair Witch Project, Myrick and Sanchez talked about their feelings toward the franchise they created. Myrick said, “It’s always a little bittersweet.” They also discussed the new Blair Witch sequel from Lionsgate and Blumhouse, which they were not asked to direct or give any input on.
However, some actors from the film feel they weren’t paid fairly, even with the film’s success, and the original creators were left out of future sequel plans. This issue continues for filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, who started the indie hit but were not asked about the new sequel from Lionsgate and Blumhouse Productions.
Advertisement We still love the IP, and we’ve been thinking about it for more than 25 years now. And again, we don’t expect to write or direct these movies. We understand how Hollywood works, and they’re always looking for the shiny new object, the new filmmaker. And there’s a lot of super talented people out there that can make a great Blair Witch movie. To be included again would be nice. Even if they don’t listen to us. Just to pick out brains.
As Dan mentioned, we have a loyal fan base for the original movie, and it would be great for them to involve us again. But we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Myrick added
Artisan Entertainment released The Blair Witch Project, but Lionsgate took over the rights when it bought Artisan in 2003. After the first movie, they didn’t involve the original filmmakers much, starting with the rushed sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, released in 2000. Myrick and Sanchez were not asked about this sequel, which got terrible reviews and made much less money than the first film.
When Blair Witch was released in 2016, Lionsgate owned the franchise. Myrick and Sanchez had only a small role in the film, which Adam Wingard directed and Simon Barrett wrote.
There are other troubling stories about The Blair Witch Project. Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard, who played the three filmmakers searching for the Blair Witch, have spoken out about not being paid enough. They didn’t just receive little pay for the first movie; they also didn’t get compensated when their names and faces were used in the sequels. Since the actors weren’t part of a union in 1999, they didn’t receive any extra money when the movie became a huge hit.
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In 2004, they received $300,000, but only after suing Lionsgate for using their names in other Blair Witch projects without payment. The situation escalated when the three actors wrote an open letter to Lionsgate in April, arguing that they deserved extra pay because of the millions the franchise has made since 1999.
Myrick and Sanchez, along with other producers from the first film, wrote an open letter supporting the three actors. While they didn’t directly comment on the status of the letters, they hinted that discussions between the actors and Lionsgate have been positive. Sanchez mentioned,
I spoke with Mike [Williams] earlier this week, and they are in talks with Blumhouse and Lionsgate. They are making progress. They don’t know what will happen, but at least they’re talking, which is great.
Although Lionsgate owns the rights and is moving forward with its own Blair Witch stories, Myrick and Sanchez believe they have new ideas worth exploring. Myrick said,
Studios are not your friends. They’re a business, and we learned that the hard way. Lionsgate picked up the rights and has made some follow-up films that did okay, but we still believe there are other valuable Blair Witch stories to tell for the audience and the fans. Sadly, Lionsgate hasn’t embraced that idea.
Source: Film Stories