Original BLAIR WITCH Stars Ask Lionsgate For Recognition, Residuals, and Meaningful Consultation For Future Project

The original actors of the hit 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project are not happy with how Lionsgate has treated them over the years, and how the studio has continued to profit from the franchise they launched. 

Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams have released a public statement asking for more compensation and recognition for their work on the original film. They are also asking for “meaningful consultation” on any future Blair Witch films that are made that use their names or likenesses. 

This comes after it was announced that Blumhouse was teaming up with Lionsgate for a Blair Witch reboot. They are looking to revive the franchise, which has been described as a “new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation.”

It sounds like this is going to be a fresh start for the franchise, a film that won’t connect to the original or the original stars, so I’m not sure what, if anything, they actors will gain from this.

Lionsgate didn’t produce or distribute the original film. They acquired it in 2003 through the buyout of Artisan Entertainment in 2003.

After the announcement of the reboot was made, Leonard frustratingly responded on social media, saying, “At this point, it’s 25 years of disrespect from the folks who’ve pocketed the lion’s share (pun intended) of the profits from OUR work, and that feels both icky and classless.” 

The actors improvised as they shot the original movie, which was made on a shoestring budget and they used their real names for the characters they played.

Each of the actors made $300,000 from a buyout of their ownership points on the film, which went on to gross $248 million worldwide. 

The actors ended up suing Artisan Entertainment for using their names and likenesses in the studio’s 2000 sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, which was an inferior film that didn’t do well at the box office.

You can read the full statements from the original actors as well as the original director and producers below.

The full statements read:

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team.

As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making their first feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams.

As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello