As you are probably aware, Friday the 13th has been at the centre of an ongoing legal battle between Sean Cunningham and Victor Miller as to who holds the current rights. It has caused major issues for the iconic slasher franchise and has halted any new Friday the 13th related content. To quickly sum up Miller has been granted rights to his script, which Cunningham still disputes. So in addition to the current ongoing legal battle, Cunningham has now taken aim at Warner Brothers and Paramount.
As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Cunningham has launched a new lawsuit over net profits from the horror franchise. According to a complaint filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the studios distributing the films have "systematically mis-accounted" contingent compensation.
The Friday the 13th franchise has grossed more than $129 million, according to the complaint, but Cunningham says audits revealed there's been improper deductions of fees and bonuses, undervalued licenses, an underreporting of merchandising revenue and pay TV income, and on and on. He also alleges that Paramount and Warner have redacted their "package" license agreements — preventing him from fully understanding the flow of money. He surmises that defendants' "withheld documents would reveal that the Pictures's distribution was structured to inequitably advance the interest of Defendants and favoured third parties."
So basically folks, us fans currently have absolutely no hope of seeing anything new regarding Friday the 13th anytime soon. This includes a lot of DLC that was planned for Friday the 13th: The Game, new NECA merchandise and and figures and of course any new films.
If you are looking for some new Friday the 13th content though I would recommend checking out the three fantastic fan films Friday the 13th: Vengeance, Never Hike Alone: A Friday the 13th Fan Film and it's prequel Never Hike in The Snow: A Friday the 13th Fan Film. All of which are available to watch for free on YouTube.
More to follow.
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