WonderCon is always chock-full of interesting tidbits, and this year’s convention didn’t disappoint, with oodles of information on everything from AMC’s Preacher to WB and DC’s Aquaman. But one piece of intel, concerning Platinum Dunes’ long-delayed Friday the 13th reboot, almost slipped under the radar.
At the panel for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller answered a few questions about when audiences could expect to return to Camp Crystal Lake, providing horror fans with their first update since it was announced back in December that red-hot scribe Aaron Guzikowski (Prisoners, Universal’s Wolfman reboot) would be writing a script. The pair confirmed and denied certain bits of intel about the reboot, which may or may not find Derek Mears returning in the role of machete-wielding psychopath Jason Voorhees.
“There is truth that this is period,” said Form, without specifying in which period the movie will take place. “And not found-footage,” he added, killing a rumor that fans responded to about as well as Jason tends to respond to horny camp counselors (i.e. not well).
“We’re so lucky to have Aaron Guzikowski writing, who is a fan of the franchise,” Form also stated. “He’s come up with an amazing story and we can’t wait to make this one.” It truly is exciting to see a writer of Guzikowski’s caliber take a swing at one of horror’s most undying franchises, and the idea of him playing with a period setting is also mightily promising. The 2009 reboot, while not terrible, didn’t exactly pump up audiences about the prospect of a new string of movies either. Taking Friday the 13th back to perhaps a ’70s setting seems like as good an ideas as any to help audiences remember what they liked so much about the first film.
Additionally, Fuller dropped the following tease: “I can tell you I believe there will be a set visit for everybody soon.” It sounds like Paramount’s January 13, 2017 release date might be happening for Friday the 13th after all, which immediately makes next January (which will also see the release of Amityville: The Awakening and the last Resident Evil) feel like a more inviting month for horror aficionados than this past one. After all, the first month of 2016 only offered audiences three true horror movies: The Forest, The Boy, and Dirty Grandpa.