Could we be seeing the return of Jason Voorhees in 2023? It would appear that Sean S. Cunningham, who directed the original Friday the 13th movie and later returned to the franchise as a producer, believes that we will. For several years, the rights of the popular slasher movie series had been tangled up in the court system with a lawsuit involving Cunningham and screenwriter Victor Miller. Recently, there have been rumors that the matter has been settled, but no official announcements have been made.
Per JoBlo, some horror fans have noticed a very interesting comment left by Cunningham on his Cameo page. In his “About” section, it is written, “Sean S. Cunningham directed and produced the seminal horror film Friday 13th, creating the iconic villain Jason Voorhees. The movie has spawned 12 installments with a 13th scheduled for next year.”
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Does Cunningham know something that the rest of us do not? If so, is there definitely going to be a Friday the 13th movie in 2023, or is Cunningham simply feeling optimistic? That all remains unclear at this time, but this does seem to signify that a new Friday the 13th film is coming next year. Counting the crossover movie, Freddy vs. Jason, there have been 12 movies previously released in the series with 2009’s Friday the 13th reboot serving as the last film in the franchise. Noting that a 13th film is “scheduled” for 2023 does sound pretty definitive, but beyond this comment on Cameo, no official announcements from anyone involved have been made.
Related: Friday the 13th: The Best Kills in the Franchise, Ranked
Friday the 13th Remains One of Horror’s Most Popular Franchises
Paramount Pictures
In recent years, we have seen a resurgence of slasher movie sequels with the Halloween, Scream, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchises all getting new installments. Fans have long been clamoring for another Friday the 13th movie as well, but it’s been difficult to get anything started while the rights have been getting sorted out. It’s possible that there have been ongoing discussions behind the scenes on how to release another film in a way that will have everybody happy, financially speaking, as the immense interest in another film all but guarantees that the next Jason movie will make big bucks at the box office.
If the film is going to happen, Kane Hodder is hoping that someone will give him a call. Hodder previously played Jason Voorhees in four movies before he was recast ahead of the crossover movie Freddy vs. Jason. Given how much recent legacy sequels have popularized bringing back beloved cast members from years past for new movies, there’s a good chance Hodder could be invited back to play Jason on the big screen once again. And he’ll be ready and willing.
“There’s been 12 films, so how do you not do a 13th Friday the 13th movie?” Hodder told TMZ back in May. “I’m still very ready to kill people, and I would welcome the chance to come back again.”
You can view the original article HERE.
