Original 'Blair Witch Project' stars demand more compensation from Lionsgate
What's the story
Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams—the lead actors of the iconic horror film The Blair Witch Project, have publicly called on Lionsgate for increased remuneration for their roles in the 1999 blockbuster. The trio expressed their desire to be actively involved in any future Blair Witch projects that use their names or images. This request comes 10 days after Lionsgate and Blumhouse announced plans to revitalize the franchise with a new film.
Acquisition details
Lionsgate acquired 'Blair Witch' rights through Artisan Entertainment
Lionsgate, which neither produced nor distributed the original The Blair Witch Project, acquired the rights to the franchise through its 2003 purchase of independent film distributor Artisan Entertainment. To note, in 2002, the actors filed a lawsuit against Artisan Entertainment for the unauthorized use of their names and likenesses in the studio's 2000 sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. Moreover, Lionsgate's first attempt to revive the franchise was with the 2016 sequel which garnered $45M worldwide.
Actor's displeasure
'It's 25 years of disrespect': Leonard expressed discontent
Meanwhile, the recent announcement by Lionsgate and Blumhouse has sparked a strong reaction from Leonard on social media. He voiced his displeasure stating, "At this point, it's 25 years of disrespect from the folks who've pocketed the lion's share (pun intended) of the profits from OUR work, and that feels both icky and classless." He revealed that each actor received $300,000 from a buyout of their ownership points on the film. The original movie grossed $248M worldwide.
Actors' demands
'Blair Witch' actors demanded 'residual payments,' 'consultation rights'
In their latest statement, Leonard, Williams, and Donahue (now known as Rei Hance) urged Lionsgate to provide them with retroactive and future residual payments "equivalent to the sum that would've been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made." They also demanded "meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room," where their names or likenesses could be used for promotional purposes.
Grant proposal
Actors proposed 'Blair Witch Grant' for aspiring filmmakers
The actors also proposed that Lionsgate establish a $60,000 "Blair Witch Grant" to be awarded to "an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making their first feature film." A representative for Lionsgate declined to comment on these demands. Meanwhile, the directors Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick and the producers Gregg Hale and Robin Cowie of The Blair Witch Project, expressed their support for the actors in a separate statement.