The era of YouTubers making horror films is far from over.
A new “Blair Witch” movie directed by Dylan Clark will be released in theaters on Sept. 24, 2027, Lionsgate announced on Tuesday.
Clark first came to prominence for his YouTube horror short films, which gained the attention of Hollywood and led to Lionsgate tapping him to relaunch “The Blair Witch Project.”
Described as a “groundbreaking new chapter,” this new “Blair Witch” movie is produced by Blumhouse Atomic Monster — which also produced this summer’s sensational “Obsession” and “Backrooms” from two filmmakers who also first gained prominence on YouTube. Those films exploded at the box office in May, trouncing Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” and ushering in a new era of Gen Z filmmakers with social followings.
Executive producers on the new “Blair Witch” include the 1999 film’s creators Eduardo Sánchez, Daniel Myrick and Gregg Hale, alongside original film cast members Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, who join Michael Clear, Judson Scott and Steven Schneider. The 2027 movie is written by Chris Thomas Devlin and produced by Jason Blum, James Wan, Roy Lee, Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath.
Plot details are under wraps, but 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project” was, of course, an indie sensation of its own. The found footage film was marketed as a “lost tape” of sorts and grossed nearly $250 million against a budget of less than $1 million, making it one of the most successful indie movies of all time.
A sequel was fast-tracked, but 2000’s more traditional (and more expensive) “Book of Shadows” failed to catch the same box office windfall, grossing $48 million. Lionsgate then tapped “You’re Next” duo Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett for a 2016 redo, which grossed $45 million against a $5 million budget.
Clark recently signed with Universal to adapt his horror short “Portrait of God,” with Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele producing. He is also writing to direct an adaptation of his short film “Story Time,” with Zak Olkewicz and LD Entertainment producing. He is represented by 3 Arts, UTA and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.
