Transformers director Michael Bay is reviving the Friday the 13th franchise through his low-budget production company.
Bay’s Platinum Dunes banner will be doing the remake of the original 1980 horror classic, which turned the villainous Jason into a cultural icon, for New Line Cinema. Platinum Dunes is also the company that was responsible for the revivals of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hitcher.
The movie will be getting a face-lift for sure (I’m sure they’ll call it a re-imagining). In the original Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees made only a brief appearance in the final frames and never actually killed anyone. And you may find this hard to believe, but he never even put on the famous hockey mask until the third movie. Bay’s film, however, will focus on Jason who will wear the mask and kill. They will also keep the famous setting of Crystal Lake.
The rumor is that Bay hopes to get this film done before the possible strikes occur but a 2009 release seems likely. If he hopes to release on a Friday the 13th he would have ample opportunity as there are three such dates in 2009 (February, March, and November).
Damian Shannon and Mark Swift will write the script. They wrote 2003′s Freddy vs. Jason, the killer’s last big-screen appearance. That film grossed more than $82 million domestically and a whopping $114 million internationally on a $30 million budget. Of course, Jason X only earned $16 million worldwide on an $11 million budget so who knows what this one will do. I’m guessing they’ll do okay.
