As it turns out, the “Blair Witch Project” reboot isn’t solely responsible for Joshua Leonard’s frustration. As he claims in his Instagram post, there have been issues with the business side of the film since the very beginning. “BWP’s OG distributor claimed to have released the most profitable independent film ever (bought for 1M, grossed 250M+), while internally they told us that they were actually losing money from marketing expenses,” he said, noting that he and the “Blair Witch Project” team were even told that they might end up owing the original distributor, Artisan Entertainment.
Leonard detailed even more frustrating situations brought on by those tasked with handling directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’s horror flick. He and his castmates had to regain the rights to their names, as the studio filed trademarks on them since they were used in the film. Also, Hollywood insiders told the press that the actors were paid $4 million as a buyout of their ownership points when, in reality, they only made $300,000. “It’s 25 years of disrespect from the folks who’ve pocketed the lion’s share (pun intended) of the profits from OUR work, and that feels both icky and classless,” Leonard concluded.
Hopefully, Joshua Leonard and those at Lionsgate can find common ground in due time. Additionally, should the “Blair Witch Project” remake follow in its predecessor’s footsteps and turn out to be a movie that becomes an unexpected blockbuster, those involved should receive fair compensation and the utmost respect.
