Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard And Michael Williamsprotagonists of the seminal horror film The Blair Witch Projectreleased a public letter to Lionsgate on Saturday asking for more substantial compensation for their work on the 1999 blockbuster, as well as “meaningful advice” on any future “Blair Witch” projects using their names or likenesses.
The statement comes 10 days after that Lionsgate and Blumhouse have announced that they want to relaunch the franchise with a new film that would provide, in the words of the president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Adam Fogelson, “a new vision for ‘Blair Witch’ that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation”. There Lionsgate did not produce or distribute the original 1999 film, but acquired ownership through its 2003 acquisition of independent film distributor Artisan Entertainment.
The announcement of Lionsgate-Blumhouse prompted a strong response via social media from Leonard, who said that no one had contacted him or his co-stars beforehand about the project. “At this point, that’s 25 years of disrespect from the people who have made the lion’s share (pun intended) of the profits from OUR work, and that seems disgusting and classless,” Leonard wrote.
Leonard said the actors — who shot and improvised the independent film for about a week on a shoestring budget, using their real names for their characters — earned $300,000 each from purchasing ownership points on the film, which it grossed $248 million worldwide. In 2002, the actors sued Artisan Entertainment for using their names and likenesses in the studio’s 2000 sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.
In their most recent statement, Leonard, Williams and Donahue (who now goes by the name Rei Hance) ask Lionsgate to provide them with retroactive and future residual payments “equivalent to the amount that would have been awarded through SAG-AFTRA if we had had adequate legal counsel or representation at the time the film was made.”
They also ask “significant advice on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which the names and/or likenesses of Heather, Michael and Josh can reasonably be assumed will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere”.
Finally, the actors are asking Lionsgate to create a $60,000 “Blair Witch Grant” that would be awarded to “an unknown/aspiring genre director to help them make their first feature film.” Lionsgate had no comment.
Meanwhile, the directors of The Blair Witch Project Eduardo Sanchez And Dan Myrickthe producers Gregg Hale And Robin Cowie and the co-producer Michael Monello released a joint statement in support of the actors.
“While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Mike Williams,” they say in the statement. “As the true faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices and real names are inseparably linked to ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continues to resonate with audiences around the world.”
Here is the full statement
Tags: Blair Witch Project original cast asks Lionsgate retroactive residues consultation future projects
