Friday the 13th is Back: New Movie in Development, Regal Running Classic Screenings All Year
Jason Voorhees has been dormant for 17 years. That streak is officially ending. On Friday the 13th — yesterday — franchise co-creator Sean Cunningham stepped out of the shadows to confirm a new Friday the 13th film is in active development, with a treatment already completed and a screenplay search underway. The timing was deliberate. The hockey mask is coming back.
Cunningham Confirms Friday the 13th Part 13 Is Real
On Friday, March 13, original director Sean Cunningham officially addressed the future of the movie series. Cunningham revealed that a film treatment for an "old school" Jason movie has been completed. He is looking for a young writer to turn the treatment into a fleshed-out screenplay, with the heart of the franchise always being the "fear of untimely death."
Cunningham, now 84, won't be directing. He anticipates serving as executive producer on the planned film, calling himself a "cheerleader" for the project.
The rights tangle that paralyzed the franchise for nearly two decades is finally resolving. Cunningham says both he and franchise co-creator Victor Miller have resolved their issues — and he is hopeful that the mega-merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount will take care of the remaining studio-level entanglements, since both studios hold rights to the franchise.
With the merger happening, legal issues concerning the rights are no longer a factor in getting a new Friday the 13th film made. What happens next is getting a screenplay put together and pitched in order to get greenlit for production.
Director Mike P. Nelson Has Already Thrown His Hat In
The director's chair is not yet filled — but at least one filmmaker is actively campaigning. Filmmaker Mike P. Nelson confirmed a new movie is absolutely happening, noting he has thrown his hat in the ring to bring it to life. "They are working on it, that I can promise you, because I've heard of it and because I have that direct communication with them, it's there," Nelson told SlashFilm. "I have given my two cents, I have given them my take, and right now it's in their court."
Crystal Lake Prequel Series Is Also Coming to Peacock
The upcoming Crystal Lake TV series for Peacock — serving as a prequel to the original films — released its first stills Friday, the same day Cunningham made his announcement. No premiere date has been set, but the dual news drop was coordinated — a clear signal that the Jason Universe is being built from both ends simultaneously.
Regal Cinemas Is Bringing Jason Back to Theaters Three Times This Year
While the new film takes shape, 2026 brings three Friday the 13ths — the maximum possible in a calendar year — and Regal Cinemas is celebrating all three by screening classic franchise entries exclusively at their theaters throughout the year.
The schedule: February 13 screened Friday the 13th (1980) and Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). Yesterday, March 13, featured Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3-D (1982) and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984). The final installment lands November 13 with Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986).
Regal deliberately excluded Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) from the lineup "due to a fake Jason plot twist generally disliked by fans of the franchise." The Voorhees family's murderous legacy, they noted, deserves better.
The last Friday the 13th movie hit theaters on Friday, February 13, 2009 — meaning the franchise can now legally get a driver's license. Seventeen years of legal limbo. A completed treatment. A studio merger that removes the final obstacle. Jason is coming home.
Tickets for Regal's November 13 screening of Jason Lives are available at Regal theaters and on the Regal app. No release date has been announced for the new film.
