"I didn’t know anything about it": The Blair Witch Project star Joshua Leonard speaks out against Lionsgate reboot announcement

Joshua Leonard, who played one of the lead characters in The Blair Witch Project, has recently responded to the announcement of a reboot in the franchise. The latest installment was confirmed by Lionsgate and Blumhouse Productions at CinemaCon.

Joshua Leonard shared a Facebook post on April 12, 2024, expressing his frustration with the new entry. The actor even included some screenshots of different outlets speaking about the reboot, followed by some glimpses captured at the press release of the original film. He stated:

"The weird part is that I didn't know anything about it until a friend sent me a 'congrats' screenshot yesterday."

Meanwhile, the supernatural horror was a successful project when it arrived on the big screens in 1999. Furthermore, it even contributed to making found-footage films popular in the next few years and led to a sequel that came out 17 years later.

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Joshua Leonard disclosed some unknown facts about The Blair Witch Project

The Hollywood Reporter stated that the collaboration between Lionsgate and Blumhouse was the result of the success of the horror film Imaginary. While the companies announced a reboot of The Blair Witch Project, Joshua Leonard said on Facebook that he had respect for both of them and added:

"My frustration is compounded b/c I've been trying to get @lionsgate to engage for over a month about a BWP charity screening I'm putting together for @opositivefest to raise money for artists without healthcare, and no one will get back to me."

Leonard wrote that the original film was successful due to the best marketing strategies and was proud of its achievements. He went on to reveal a few facts related to the project, starting with a claim that the original distributor suffered losses due to marketing expenses.

The actors used their real names in the film, due to which the studio began claiming copyright. Joshua Leonard said that they had to approach the "federal court" to get back the names and continued:

"A Hollywood insider told the press that we (actors) were paid 4M dollars as a buyout for our ownership points, while in reality, we made 300k… and never saw another dime. (After buying a car and paying off his student loans, Mike was back moving furniture within 12 months of the release, while still on magazine covers.)"

The comments section was flooded with multiple reactions, with one of them questioning the reason behind doing a remake. Joshua Leonard also wrote in the beginning that he shared the photos since the people involved with the original film were posting their memories.

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Joshua Leonard was contacted by Lionsgate after his criticism

While Joshua Leonard spoke about a charity screening in his Facebook post, a representative for Lionsgate immediately contacted him. Leonard confirmed the same while speaking to IndieWire and addressed his disappointment with Lionsgate, saying that he had to take the help of social media to get a response.

Apart from Leonard, the production designer of the original film, Ben Rock, also shared a statement with The Hollywood Reporter about the reboot, saying that the team involved with the first project was not approached by Lionsgate or Blumhouse.

Rock also addressed the 2016 sequel along with Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, since the plot was linked to the first film. He said that the "original creators" were ignored when those films were being made and added:

"But neither one of the sequels connected with audiences the way they wanted it to connect. And so it might at least be worth talking to some of the original creators."

A release date for The Blair Witch Project reboot has not been confirmed yet. However, it will be part of an agreement where Lionsgate's popular horror films will be recreated by Blumhouse.