The artistic group behind the 1999 hit horror movie “The Blair Witch Challenge” is looking for elevated retroactive compensation for the film’s three stars, in addition to “significant session” on an upcoming reboot.
The request got here within the type of an open letter spearheaded by Joshua Leonard, one of many movie’s stars, and posted to social media on Saturday, weeks after Lionsgate and Blumhouse introduced the reboot.
“Whereas we, the unique filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s proper to monetize the mental property because it sees match, we should spotlight the numerous contributions of the unique solid, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams,” the letter reads, citing the 2 different leads together with Leonard.
It continues, “We rejoice our movie’s legacy, and equally, we imagine the actors should be celebrated for his or her enduring affiliation with the franchise.”
The letter is co-signed by the movie’s administrators, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, in addition to Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie and Michael Monello, who have been producers on the unique movie.
“The Blair Witch Challenge” grew to become a popular culture phenomenon due to its shaky, hand-held filming and principally improvised dialogue, along with its shoestring finances and a unusual web advertising marketing campaign.
The film, shot in a few week on a finances of $60,000, grew to become a shock business and important smash, grossing virtually $250 million — a document for an indie movie on the time.
The New York Instances assessment referred to as it a “most ingenious departure from commonplace horror fare.”
Myrick and Sánchez got here up with the thought as movie college students on the College of Central Florida. They solid Donahue (who’s now referred to as Rei Hance), Leonard and Williams to play variations of themselves within the movie as documentary filmmakers. The actors obtained a paltry sum in contrast with the gross: Hance, in an e mail, stated she was paid $1,000 for 2 weeks of labor.
As well as, the actors have been ultimately paid $300,000 after they have been purchased out of their 1 p.c stake, which successfully shut them out from future residuals. They weren’t concerned within the buyout negotiations, Leonard stated in an e mail.
Domenic Romano, a New York Metropolis-based leisure lawyer, stated the try by the unique “Blair Witch” group would have little likelihood in the event that they tried to take the matter to court docket.
“The studio took the danger in buying it, paying them a set quantity, they usually might have shared the danger with the studio,” Romano stated. “As an alternative, they didn’t on the time of sale,” he stated, including, “They’re attempting to renegotiate the deal after the actual fact.”
The movie’s success spurred two sequels: “Ebook of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” in 2000 and “Blair Witch” in 2016. Myrick and Sánchez have been govt producers on each initiatives, and co-writers on one. Each have been business disappointments. There may be additionally a “Blair Witch”-themed immersive escape room in Las Vegas.
A few of the artistic personnel connected to the unique movie have been caught off guard by the information.
“At this level, it’s 25 years of disrespect from the oldsters who’ve pocketed the lion’s share (pun supposed) of the earnings from OUR work, and that feels each icky and classless,” Leonard stated on Instagram.
Each Blum and Lionsgate declined to remark. Representatives for Myrick and Sánchez didn’t reply to requests for remark.
The unique movie was distributed by Artisan Leisure, which acquired the rights for $1 million after its premiere on the Sundance Movie Competition. Eager to capitalize on the success of the unique, Artisan pushed the sequel — which led to a 2002 lawsuit filed by the actors, as clips of their characters appeared within the movie and promotional supplies with out their permission. Lionsgate acquired Artisan in 2003 and didn’t negotiate the unique offers for the solid.
Of their letter, the actors ask for residual funds tied to the “Blair Witch” franchise that they are saying they might have obtained had they “had correct union or authorized illustration when the movie was made.” As well as, the group asks for “significant session” on future “Blair Witch” initiatives in addition to a “Blair Witch Grant” — a yearly grant of $60,000 paid to an aspiring filmmaker seeking to make their debut.
“We’ve moved on, however it appears that evidently Lionsgate by no means will, so it’s time for them to pay us for these continued makes use of,” Hance, who declined to be interviewed, stated in an Instagram submit on April 13.
“This underscores the significance of getting authorized illustration, whether or not that’s a great agent or a great supervisor,” Romano stated, “or leisure legal professionals earlier than you signal the deal.”