Friday The 13th Producer Is Suing Studios Over Profits

Friday the 13th producer and co-creator Sean Cunningham is suing distributors Warner and Paramount. Cunningham claims that the studios have "systematically misaccounted" how much the money the slasher franchise has made over the decades.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cunningham has filed the complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court. He states that Warner and Paramount have been guilty of what is commonly known "Hollywood accounting." This is where a studio claims a movie has made far less money than it actually has by deducting additional fees and under-reporting elements like merchandising and TV revenue. As a result, profit participants, such as producers, get paid less when the movie goes into profit. Cunningham claims that the series has made more than $129 million.

This is the second Friday the 13th lawsuit that Cunningham has filed in recent years. In 2016, Cunningham sued Victor Miller, who wrote the screenplay for the original movie back in 1980. Cunningham argues that Miller was just a writer for hire and has no claim on the rights to the story or characters in that first film, while Miller is seeking ownership of them. THR states that a ruling on this case is "pending."

The Miller lawsuit has meant that the series is currently in a state of limbo. The last movie, a reboot simply titled Friday the 13th, was released back in 2009. In 2018, Andrew Form, whose company Platinum Dunes produced it, stated that the "rights are a little messed up" but "wholeheartedly believe that another version, another incarnation of Friday the 13th, needs to be made and brought out to the world." A new movie was scheduled for release back in 2015 but was ultimately removed from schedules after shifting release date a few times.

In related news, the other great '80s slasher franchise--Halloween--returns to screens in October. Halloween Kills is the sequel to 2018's hit reboot--watch the latest trailer here. For more, check out GameSpot's guide to the biggest upcoming horror movies of 2021.