Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is one of the most beloved entries in the long-running slasher series. Fans revere the film for being unabashedly tongue-in-cheek and exuberantly liberal with its gory special effects. Well, now it appears the film’s director Tom McLoughlin is itching for another swing at the hockey mask killer.
In an interview with Slash N Cast, McLoughlin confirmed that he has completed a script for a brand new Friday the 13th film. Though the director was tight-lipped about a lot of details, he did give some insight into the direction he’d like to take his project, currently referred to as Jason Never Dies. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit involved a proposed all-female cast, which would be a first for the franchise. These women range between the ages of 15 to 65.
The film begins with– you guessed it– the resurrection of Jason, this time as a part of what McLoughlin promises would be “the most spectacular opening of any Friday the 13th you’ve ever seen.” From there Jason would sport a slightly newer look, one which the filmmaker described as “fresh” and “different.”
As for the when and where of it all, Jason Never Dies would once again see the titular villain returning home to Camp Crystal Lake, this time during the winter of 1999. We’ve never seen Jason during the off-season, so this could offer up a new twist on the familiar woodland aesthetic. And he’ll be plenty motivated to stain the snow red because, according to McLoughlin, Jason is going to be filled with more rage than ever. Intriguingly enough, McLoughlin sited “an additional agenda” behind the inevitable slayings and one that falls right in line with the rest of the established mythology.
As exciting as it would be to see McLoughlin jump back behind the camera for a new Friday the 13th film, the odds of Jason Never Dies as it is hitting the big screen are slim to nonexistent. First and foremost–and this is mentioned in the interview– the ‘F13’ rights are currently tangled up in a nasty litigation dispute between creator Sean Cunningham and original ‘F13’ screenwriter Victor Miller (get a more in-depth breakdown of the legal battle here). As a result, there likely won’t be a new film in the series until that’s all cleared up and unfortunately, by the look of it, that isn’t happening anytime soon.
Then there are the logistics to consider. McLoughlin is pitching Jason Never Dies as a direct sequel (albeit a delayed one) to Part VI: Jason Lives. Even if the rights weren’t an issue, I find it tough to believe that anybody would be green light a new Friday the 13th film knowing that, if audiences wanted to get caught up prior to its release, they would need to track down the first six films in a series which many already consider one of the most convoluted and confusing continuities in all of horror. It just doesn’t make financial sense. It’d be much easier to wipe the slate clean and start again, maybe with the exception of the first film.
Not to mention by McLoughlin’s own add mission, his new vision would require a larger budget. Whoever wins the rights will need to be efficient. In a world where classic horror franchises like Halloween are being revived for a cost-effective $10 million and released to big critical and financial success, ‘F13’ will need to play catch up (if by then it isn’t already too late). This means the producer(s) will want to streamline the filmmaking process and the quickest and simplest method requires starting from scratch.
Anyways, that’s just my two cents on this whole thing. What do you make about Tom McLoughlin’s Jason Never Dies? Will it ever see the light of day? Is it something you’d even want to check out given the opportunity? Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts!
movieminutes.net 