'Blair Witch Project' Stars Still Fighting for Fair Compensation 25 Years Later
As the film turns 25, and fresh off word of a new installment in the franchise, the actors from the 1999 classic are telling a cautionary tale.
The stars of one of the greatest independent filmmaking feats in American history are pointing to their own trajectories as a cautionary tale.
Indeed, as the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project draws near, the trio at the center of the found footage horror classic—Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard—are speaking out about how their relationship with the franchise has changed over the past quarter century.
As has been well-documented, the actors, who were also tasked with filming and related duties for the unconventional production, have long expressed criticism over how their contributions to Blair Witch's success have been handled by the proverbial Powers That Be; in this case, Artisan and Lionsgate.
In a conversation with Adam B. Vary for Variety, available in full (and well worth your time) here, the trio speaks with remarkable candor about their collective and individual experiences post-Blair Witch. In fact, one gets the feeling that a "post-Blair Witch" landscape is not one these actors have ever fully been able to access.
"You’ve got to put that stuff away, because you’re a fucking loser if you can’t," Williams said in the interview, which is accompanied with an in-depth look back at the actors’ past battles over Blair Witch, including a $300,000 settlement in 2004. "Because everybody’s wondering what happened, and your wife is in the grocery line and she can’t pay because a check bounced. You’re in the most successful independent movie of all time, and you can’t take care of your loved ones."
At an especially emotional point in the piece, Williams is quoted as wondering what the larger impact of their efforts may be in the future.
"It’s bullshit," he said of the system in the late 90s and that of today, adding that he hopes their work will inspire others to not follow in their footsteps.
Back in April, the actors, who all used their real names in the original 1999 film, shared an open letter in response to word of an impending Blumhouse reboot. In it, the trio asked for "retroactive and future residual payments" from Lionsgate, as well as "meaningful consultation" on any future Blair Witch-related projects, ranging from reboots to toys. The inability for the franchise to have reached the level of acclaim of the original film was also specifically mentioned in the letter, with the actors referring to all subsequent releases as "a disappointment."
Blair Witch, the most recent film in the franchise, arrived back in 2016 to largely lukewarm reviews. By comparison, the original 1999 film, written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, was a widely acclaimed and genuinely innovative piece of turn-of-the-millennium cinema that no doubt inspired future generations of filmmakers to take their own artistic risks.
For now, not much is known about the next Blair Witch film, nor is it clear whether the original star will end up having much (or any) involvement. The goal, per Lionsgate's Adam Fogelson, is to "reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation."
