Steve Miner, who directed the second and third Friday the 13th films four decades ago, will direct a new instalment for release in cinemas worldwide in 2027. Horror, Inc., the company that owns the franchise, announced the film on Friday 13 November together with Cineverse, which has acquired the North American distribution rights, theatrical included. It will be the 13th feature built around Jason Voorhees and the first since the 2009 remake, which Warner Bros. released in North America.
What sets the project apart is how it is being paid for. The Barsamian family, which controls Horror, Inc., is financing and producing the film itself, with no studio partner. That echoes the series’ origins: the 1980 original was made independently and then bought by Paramount. CatchLight Studios, whose recent credits include A24’s Heretic, is the production partner, and David Fliegel, described in the announcement as an emerging screenwriter, has written the script.
Key facts
- Film: untitled 13th Friday the 13th feature, for worldwide theatrical release in 2027
- Director: Steve Miner; screenplay by David Fliegel
- Financing and production: the Barsamian family through Horror, Inc.; production partner CatchLight Studios
- North America: Cineverse (Nasdaq: CNVS), all rights including theatrical
- Not disclosed: budget, release date, cast, deal terms, sales outside North America
Why Miner
Miner directed Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Part III (1982). The announcement credits him with first putting the machete in Jason’s hands in Part 2, the first film in which Jason, rather than his mother, is the killer, and with giving him the hockey mask in Part III. Miner said he knew the mask would make a frightening image for that film but had no idea it would become one of the best-known symbols in horror.
Robbie Barsamian, executive vice-president of Horror, Inc., said working with Miner “under a fully independent model” gives the company “the creative control” to make the film it wants. CatchLight co-founder Jeanette Volturno promised a “practically-shot film”, and the announcement speaks of the “practical kills” long-time fans expect: effects created physically on set rather than with computer graphics.
The numbers behind the series
The Numbers puts the 12 films released so far at about $467m at the worldwide box office, a total that includes Freddy vs. Jason (2003), the series’ biggest earner at $115.5m; Deadline gives a lower figure of nearly $450m. The 2009 remake grossed $92.7m worldwide on a $17m production budget, by The Numbers’ count, after a $40.6m opening weekend in North America. The Numbers lists the original’s budget at $650,000 against a worldwide gross of $59.8m; Deadline puts the budget at roughly $550,000. None of these figures is adjusted for inflation.
The franchise returned to screens this autumn with Crystal Lake, A24’s prequel series for Peacock, which released all eight episodes on 15 October. According to Deadline, which first reported the new film, the series drew 1.3 billion viewing minutes in its first 11 days on Nielsen’s count. Horror, Inc. launched the Jason Universe brand in 2024 to extend the character into television, games, theme-park attractions and merchandise.
The distributor
Cineverse is a Nasdaq-listed distributor whose breakout theatrical hit was Terrifier 3, the independent slasher it released in 2024. It has since brought back The Toxic Avenger, Silent Night, Deadly Night and Silent Hill in new films, and its slate includes a third Wolf Creek. Chris McGurk, Cineverse chairman and CEO, said the company has a record of “empowering uncompromising genre filmmaking” and connecting it directly with fans.
The announcement does not say who will handle the film outside North America, what it will cost or when in 2027 it will open, and no cast has been named.
Our reading
The deal structure is the story. A franchise that has taken close to half a billion dollars at the box office is being made without a studio, with the rights owner carrying the cost and an independent distributor taking North America. That leaves the rest of the world unsold, and whether those rights go to one global buyer or market by market is the next thing to watch. For Cineverse, Jason is a second slasher brand beside Terrifier, and the 2027 release will test whether its independent route to cinemas can carry a far bigger property. Other recent independent horror deals on FilmBunch include The Spiral remake rights going to New Line and DuBow Media’s six-title Indonesian horror pact.