Lionsgate and Blumhouse are set to launch international sales at the Cannes market for their reboot of horror phenomenon ‘The Blair Witch Project.’

The new version has landed rising horror filmmaker Dylan Clark as director, confirming online reports from earlier this year. The project has been in development at Lionsgate for several years, but momentum has now picked up. Filming is being eyed for the fall, with the budget understood to be in the $10 million range. Story details are being kept under wraps.

Chris Thomas Devlin, who wrote 2022’s ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’ penned the original screenplay, with Clark currently handling a rewrite. James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse are producing alongside Roy Lee. Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath are producing for Divide/Conquer. Lionsgate is expected to keep domestic and UK distribution rights.

As THR has reported, original ‘Blair Witch Project’ stars Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, along with the 1999 film’s original creative team — Eduardo Sánchez, Daniel Myrick, and Gregg Hale — have joined the new project as executive producers. Their involvement marks a notable shift from the franchise’s two previous sequels, which had limited participation from the original filmmakers.

Clark has built a strong following in the YouTube horror scene and is emerging as a notable genre filmmaker. He recently boarded Universal’s adaptation of his horror short ‘Portrait of God,’ with Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele producing. He is also writing and directing an adaptation of his short Story Time, with Zak Olkewicz and LD Entertainment producing.

Released in 1999, the low-budget ‘The Blair Witch Project’ followed three film students who disappeared in the woods while making a documentary about a local witch legend, leaving only their found footage behind. The film grossed $248 million worldwide and became one of the most profitable and influential horror films ever made. Two sequels followed, the most recent arriving in 2016. While neither matched the original’s cultural impact, both earned close to $50 million at the box office.

MORE NEWS