Friday the 13th producer Sean Cunningham is suing Paramount and Warner Bros. for lost profits. As one of the most lucrative horror franchises of all time, Friday the 13th has earned a solid place in horror film history. Easily one of the most instantly identifiable slasher films in existence, its persistent popularity is matched only by that of series villain, Jason Voorhees.
The series first kicked off in 1980, and since then, eleven more films have followed. In a somewhat ironic state of affairs, however, a thirteenth film has proved nothing short of a nightmare to get off the ground. For over a decade now, efforts to follow up on 2009’s Friday the 13th reboot have been marred by legal issues, the likes of which originated with Warner Bros. relinquishing its rights to the franchise and Paramount taking on a more dominant role. Numerous possibilities have been presented for another Friday the 13th film during this time, with everything from a prequel to the death of Jason being explored. Most recently, Cunningham has been involved in a lawsuit with the franchise’s original screenwriter, Victor Miller. Now it appears that fans will have to endure even more legal setbacks.
The latest news on the legal debacles facing the Friday the 13th franchise comes courtesy of THR and involves Cunningham’s decision to sue both Warner Bros. and Paramount. Cunningham claims that he’s lost out on substantial net profits over the years as a result of the iconic horror franchise’s profits having been “systematically misaccounted.” Fees and bonuses have allegedly been improperly deducted, along with a whole host of other tactics designed to avoid paying Cunningham his fair dues.
Legal issues related to the film industry are never a simple thing to deal with and, depending on the size of the lawsuit, it can have the potential to completely sideline a film or franchise. This has clearly been the case with Friday the 13th, but what’s particularly frustrating about this for fans is that Cunningham’s first lawsuit was bad enough. A second, arguably even bigger lawsuit is definitely not going to help bring about a new entry in the franchise any time soon. What’s more, these persistent lawsuits have held Friday the 13th back as of late, while similar horror royalty like the Halloween franchise has managed to move forward and reinvent itself for a new generation.
As downright annoying as all of this is for Friday the 13th fans, it’s easy to overlook Cunningham’s side. If he legitimately has had money stolen from him thanks to “misaccounting”, then it only stands to reason that he should be rightfully compensated. This particular lawsuit isn’t the first time that a major studio has been accused of citing losses on a variety of successful productions, just to avoid having to pay out full sums to actors and filmmakers. And although all of this seems like it will never end, eventually a point will come where Friday the 13th is back on its feet once again. Here’s hoping that such a moment comes much sooner than later.
Source: THR
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