FRIDAY THE 13TH Part 13 Reunites With Director Steve Miner for a Bloody Return in 2027

Jason Voorhees is crawling out of retirement. After nearly two decades without a new theatrical movie, Friday the 13th is finally returning to the big screen in 2027 with its 13th installment, and the franchise is bringing back one of the filmmakers who helped turn Jason into a horror legend.

Steve Miner, the director responsible for putting a machete in Jason's hands in Friday the 13th Part II and giving him his iconic hockey mask in Friday the 13th Part III, is returning to direct the new film. That's a pretty cool way to bring this franchise back from the dead.

The movie will be written by emerging screenwriter David Fliegel, with the Barsamian family financing and producing the project through Horror, Inc., the company that controls the franchise.

Rather than handing Jason over to another major studio machine, the filmmakers are taking the independent route, giving the creative team more control over how the masked killer makes his comeback.

Robbie Barsamian, Executive Vice President of Horror, Inc., explained why bringing Miner back was such an important move:

“For generations of fans, Jason’s identity is inseparable from the creative choices Steve Miner brought to the screen. Reuniting with Steve under a fully independent model allows us the creative control to honor what makes Jason the greatest slasher of all time and deliver the definitive theatrical event that today’s audiences expect.”

Miner also shared his excitement about returning to the franchise he helped shape:

“When I put the hockey mask on Jason for Friday the 13th Part III, I knew it would create a truly scary image that would work for that movie. I had no idea that it would live on as one of the most iconic symbols in horror films. I’m thrilled to come back and continue the legacy.”

It's wild to think that one creative decision turned a relatively simple slasher villain into one of the most recognizable monsters in movie history. Now Miner gets another shot at terrorizing audiences with the character he helped define.

The new movie will be the first theatrical Friday the 13th release since Warner Bros.' 2009 reboot. That's an absurdly long time for one of horror's biggest franchises to sit on the sidelines, especially when audiences have continued showing up for bloody, unapologetic slasher movies.

The filmmakers are promising a return to the practical kills and nasty scares that made Jason famous. That's exactly what this franchise needs. Give us some inventive kills, a genuinely intimidating Jason Voorhees, and the kind of old-school slasher madness that made these movies so much fun in the first place.

Horror, Inc. has partnered with CatchLight Studios, the production company involved with A24's Heretic and the Sandra Oh horror film Umma. Meanwhile, Cineverse has secured North American distribution rights, including the theatrical release.

Cineverse has already found success bringing brutal independent horror to audiences with the Terrifier sequels, making it an interesting home for Jason's return.

Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cineverse, said: “Jason is one of the most recognizable figures in cinema history. We have a proven track record of empowering uncompromising genre filmmaking and connecting it directly with passionate audiences, and are honored to be a part of bringing Jason back to theaters where he belongs.”

Jeanette Volturno, Co-Founder of CatchLight Studios, also emphasized the team's commitment to practical filmmaking: “Bringing an icon like Jason back to the screen requires dedication to craft and a deep respect for the fandom. We’re excited to collaborate with Steve and Robbie to create a practically-shot film that is relentless, cinematic and terrifying.”

Jason's return comes during a major revival for the franchise. Peacock and A24 recently released the prequel series Crystal Lake, starring Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees and Callum Vinson as a young Jason.

All eight episodes premiered on October 15, and it became Peacock's fourth-best debut for a scripted original series.

Fans also recently got Sweet Revenge, a short film directed by Mike P. Nelson to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Jason Universe. It's a big comeback for a franchise that started in 1980 with a scrappy independent horror movie made for approximately $550,000.

Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, the original Friday the 13th followed a group of camp counselors preparing to reopen Camp Crystal Lake, only to find themselves hunted by a mysterious killer connected to a child's drowning years earlier.

Of course, the original movie's big reveal was that Pamela Voorhees was responsible for the murders. Jason eventually took over the killing duties and became the face of the franchise. Since then, the movies have collectively earned nearly $450 million worldwide, while the larger billion-dollar franchise has expanded into video games, comics, collectibles, clothing, and immersive experiences.

Horror, Inc. officially launched the Jason Universe in 2024 to expand the property, and the upcoming movie represents another major step in those plans.

Jason isn't the only legendary slasher preparing for another round. Paramount Primal is also developing a new installment of A Nightmare on Elm Street, which could eventually bring Freddy Krueger back into the horror spotlight.

With Jason returning to theaters and Freddy potentially following, horror's old-school killers are getting another chance to show modern audiences how it's done.

Now we just have to wait and see if Miner can recapture the bloody, savage, unpredictable fun that made those early Friday the 13th sequels so much fun.

I'm all for giving the guy who helped create Jason's most iconic look another opportunity to unleash him on the big screen. The independent approach and commitment to practical effects certainly make this project worth keeping an eye on.

The 13th Friday the 13th movie arrives in 2027, and after almost 20 years, it's about damn time Jason got back to work.

Source: Deadline