A breakdown of what’s happened over the year
August 13, 2010 is upon us.
Disciples of Jason Voorhees might recall today was the day that Platinum Dunes – Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form – had penciled in as the release date for their sequel to 2009’s Friday the 13th (review), starring Jared Padalecki, Amanda Righetti and Derek Mears. Needless, to say, a return trip to Crystal Lake hasn’t happened and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be happening any time soon. Why not? You can say it’s a bout of bad luck.
When Shock Till You Drop caught up to producers Fuller and Form on the Chicago set of A Nightmare on Elm Street in June of 2009, the duo were excited to continue the Voorhees-orchestrated killing spree. Mark Swift and Damian Shannon were confirmed as a writers and it was revealed that we would see Voorhees lurking about the Crystal Lake grounds in the snow.
“Whatever we need to do to make our kills feel clever in our second film is what we’re going to do. I think turning [Jason] into a space-going astronaut isn’t the direction we’re going to go in. But that’s a criticism that goes to my heart. I feel I failed the fans in that those kills were not original enough,” said Fuller.
Shooting was anticipated to begin at the end of 2009, but as the end of the year neared there was no green light from the studio. Come Halloween â09, Fuller stated, âStill hoping for some good news that will take us back to Crystal Lake.” In the meantime, Mears was once again locked to play Jason, however, no other cast members were confirmed.
3D talks and a release date rumors persisted in the ensuing weeks. Then, in December, Box Office Mojo updated their release listing for the title to “TBD.” As Platinum Dunes continued to focus their efforts on A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th Part 2 went cold. Come April of 2010, Fuller frankly told fans of the series, via his Twitter account, that the sequel was “dead.”
For clarification, Shock talked to the producer who told us: “There’s just no movement on it right now. Paramount and New Line are simply evaluating if they’re going to make it and that’s what’s happening.” He also revealed that Platinum Dunes was taking baby steps away from the horror genre with plans for a Monster Squad remake and an action film in the works.
This leaves Friday the 13th Part 2 in a state of limbo, in spite of the first film’s box office draw (nearly $100 million worldwide). A script most certainly exists. But much like Platinum Dunes’ first Friday outing, the road to getting the film in front of cameras is going to be a bumpy one. Multiple parties have a stake in the franchise and all of them need to be appeased before Jason runs amok. The masked killer has overcome many hurdles – including death itself – so never rule out his resurrection on the big screen again!
Source: Ryan Turek, Managing Editor
