The original stars of the groundbreaking 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project have publicly called on Lionsgate to provide them residuals and creative involvement as the studio preps a newly announced reboot of the found footage franchise.
In a statement posted to Facebook by actor Joshua Leonard on behalf of himself, Heather Donahue, and Michael C. Williams, the iconic Blair Witch trio laid out three specific demands for Lionsgate:
- Payment of residuals “equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA” for the massive success of the original micro-budget film.
- Consultation on the creative direction of the upcoming Blair Witch reboot, citing a lack of such input as contributing to the poor performance of past franchise attempts.
- Establishment of “The Blair Witch Grant” – a $60,000 fund paid by Lionsgate to support an aspiring filmmaker’s first feature, mirroring the original film’s seminal budget.
“We are three grown-ass adults in April of 2024 – greyer, surlier, wiser, and with far fewer fucks to give when it comes to speaking up for their own rights,” Leonard wrote, contrasting their current selves to “three starry-eyed young actors” from the film’s original 1999 release.
The audacious demands come in the wake of Lionsgate and Blumhouse officially announcing plans to reboot the pioneering found footage property that became a cultural phenomenon. Released for just $60,000, the original Blair Witch Project grossed over $248 million at the box office.
However, Leonard, Donahue, and Williams were not covered under SAG-AFTRA residuals rules at the time due to the micro-budget production and went uncompensated beyond their initial salaries despite Blair Witch’s runaway success.
As they now watch Lionsgate ready the franchise’s revival, the original stars appear determined to retroactively secure a piece of the profits they helped generate over two decades ago through residual payments.
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Their requested creative consultation also reflects a desire to course-correct for the critically panned Blair Witch sequels Book of Shadows and 2016’s Blair Witch, which both underperformed commercially.
While the original cast’s public pressure tactic is an unconventional and potentially risky move, it accentuates ongoing conversations in the entertainment industry about fair compensation for actors whose works exceed expectations.
With a major Blair Witch relaunch imminent and the original’s popularity likely to surge anew, Lionsgate could have significant incentive to acquiesce to the trio’s demands – both to appease the beloved original stars and avoid any further public backlash.
As development continues on the high-profile Blair Witch redux, all eyes will be on whether the studio chooses to embrace or rebuff Donahue, Williams, and Leonard’s boldly issued terms.
