A reboot of The Blair Witch Project is in development, scheduled to arrive next year.
The found footage horror franchise was last on the big screen 10 years ago with third film, Blair Witch, and now Variety reports that studio Lionsgate intend to bring a “new vision” that will “reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation.”
Plot details have not been revealed, but the movie is currently scheduled for a September 24, 2027 release, and Lionsgate posted teaser artwork for the film on their official Instagram account.
The film will be directed by Dylan Clark, who has risen to prominence with his YouTube channel and whose short film Portrait Of God earned over 10million views since it debuted three years ago. His path to Hollywood mirrors the success of Backrooms director Kane Parsons and Obsession filmmaker Curry Barker, both of whom released shorts through YouTube before making their box office hits.
The original movie, The Blair Witch Project, was released in 1999 and proved revolutionary in its storytelling and marketing. Made on a very low budget, it introduced found footage horror into the zeitgeist, presenting the film as tapes that were found after a film crew went missing in the woods investigating the legend of The Blair Witch. With the internet still in its infancy, the production created fictional websites as one of the first viral marketing strategies, with many audience members unsure if the film was real or not. The hype resulted in one of the most successful independent films of all time, making over $248million (£186million) and leading to two sequels.
Two cast members of the original movie, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, will serve as executive producers for the reboot, along with the original filmmakers, Eduardo Sánchez, Daniel Myrick, and Gregg Hale.
Joshua Leonard was one of several of the first movie’s cast and crew to express their displeasure at a proposed remake in 2024, revealing the truth behind some misconceptions about the film’s success.