ROTTEN TOMATOES: "Darkness" Director to Helm Jason's Origin Tale

"Darkness" Director to Helm Jason's Origin Tale

by Scott Weinberg | February 22, 2006

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New Line has hired "Darkness Falls" director Jonathan Liebesman to helm the as-yet-untitled "Friday the 13th" prequel which is being fast-tracked in an effort to make a 10/13 release date. Mr. Liebesman also just got finished directing the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" prequel, which is currently scheduled for a 10/6 release date.

Says Variety: "New Line has tapped horror helmer Jonathan Liebesman to direct the latest incarnation of the "Friday the 13th" franchise, set up at Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes.

Liebesman, who's in final negotiations, has already worked with the studio and Platinum Dunes on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning," due out in October. His debut feature was 2003's "Darkness Falls" for Revolution.

The yet-to-be-titled pic will be the 11th outing in the "Friday the 13th" franchise, launched in 1980. Mark Wheaton ("Son of the Morning Star") is penning the project, centered on the origins of the Jason Voorhees character as portrayed in the first four pics in the series."

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Interesting trivia note: Mark Wheaton is a movie geek who used to write for CHUD.com under the name of Smilin' Jack Ruby. Nice to see an internet movie nerd hit the big time. Congrats, Mark!

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(1-18 of 18 posts) | Reply

D79 writes:
on Feb 22 2006 10:26 AM

so who's gonna be the killer? baby jason? jasons momma? if it's before the original.

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South_park300 writes:
on Feb 22 2006 11:55 AM

No, the movie is actually between the first and second movies. It shows why and how Jason started killing people. I just hope they keep the story straight and have him in the potato sack mask and not the hockey mask, he got the hockey mask in the 3rd movie.

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lovelykeira writes:
on Feb 22 2006 12:06 PM

That's messed up that he's directing both prequels. Out of the two the Massacre beginning sounds better.

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bkfxr9 writes:
on Feb 22 2006 12:09 PM

Maybe this prequel will bring back the glory of the 13th series, but I seriously doubt it. Micheal Bay is really starting to annoy me.

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D79 writes:
on Feb 22 2006 01:09 PM

oh okay i get it. yeah in the 3rd one he gets the mask from the curley haird prankster...i hope they explain why he was so god damn ugly.

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South_park300 writes:
on Feb 22 2006 01:13 PM

I trust this movie is in good hands. I am tired of Michael Bay bashing, (eventhough he is NOT writing or directing this movie, his side company is making it) people treat him like he is Uwe Boll or something..oh well.

And I believe Jason was born ugly and deformed, which is why he got picked on and eventually drowned.
If it's anything like the way the first Chansaw Massacre remake was, I think we will be in for a treat.

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bkfxr9 writes:
on Feb 22 2006 04:31 PM

First of all, Michael Bay is a major reason for Hollywood's lack of creativity. Secondly, the TCM remake with Jessica Biel was complete crap. It totally missed the point of the first one. It turned into a lame slasher flick.
I may hate on remakes, but the new Hills Have Eyes looks interesting.

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sideburnz writes:
on Feb 22 2006 05:35 PM

bleh, i thought it was going to be that anna paquin movie darkness(which i liked) instead of the crappy darkness falls.

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South_park300 writes:
on Feb 22 2006 07:58 PM

eh, we'll agree to disagree.

but yeah, i do think the new Hills looks promising. I wasn't the biggest fan of the original. It had it's moments

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Ashron writes:
on Feb 23 2006 12:46 PM

I'm with you South_park300. In fact, I'll be really heretical and say that I liked the TCM remake BETTER than the original.

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lovelykeira writes:
on Feb 23 2006 02:53 PM

I also liked the remake of TCM a good deal more than the original.

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D79 writes:
on Feb 23 2006 03:28 PM

haha! you guys are crazy! the original TCM is a masterpiece where the remake is a hollywood remake pile of donkeysh*t! you just can't compare the two...the way the original was shot giving it that raw look to it was just insane. then again, it IS your opinion so i respect that.

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South_park300 writes:
on Feb 23 2006 06:36 PM

i like them both equally, as they are both very different. the remake did have a raw feeling to me. a big reason why the original had an extra raw feeling is because it was old and most films had a similar look back in that day, haha. especially low budget horror flicks. sort of like the original Hills Have Eyes

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chazbow writes:
on Feb 24 2006 08:25 AM

[b]Tom Holland[/b]
I know he hasn't directed anything in nearly 10 years, but this would have made a great comeback vehicle for Tom Holland ("Fright Night," "Child's Play").

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Ashron writes:
on Feb 24 2006 12:29 PM

In reply to this comment (#831331)
The reason it looks like that is because they didn't have the money to make it look any better. It certainly wasn't an artistic decision. One look at any of Tobe Hooper's other movies (with the exception of Poltergeist, which rumor has Spielberg directing most of) will show you that any artistic merit to TCM was pure beginner's luck. It was his masterpiece because it's the only decent thing he's made.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the original. I just liked the remake better.

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MOVIE FAN 101 writes:
on Feb 26 2006 05:56 PM

I hate prequels and this is just a stupid idea by new line cinema. As much of a fan i am of friday the 13th, there isn't really anything left to do in the franchise

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saiyajinX writes:
on Feb 27 2006 10:16 PM

[b]Could be worse![/b]
We could find jasons head floating through a vortex in space taking him back in time causing a chemical reaction at crystal lake, and thus the killer is respawend with a thirst for blood! That would seem plausible with all of the recent crappy films...but wait this is a prequel! So...We could find Jasons head floating through space...

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Fangmeier69 writes:
on Mar 01 2006 09:05 PM

[b]Michael Bay, Go Away.[/b]
Everything Bay touches is crap. His producing sideline is totally dedicated to horror film remakes; does this man have ANY original ideas? Expect just doing something over again LOUDER, with all the fastest cutting in Hollywood?
2001 was a revealing year. He thinks he's directing an Oscar caliber film in Pearl Harbour, but it was a laughable attempt at respectability. Then his producer Jerry Bruckheimer makes Black Hawk Down with a real director - Ridley Scott - and it gets lots of praise and Oscar attention. Who's the weak link?
When The Island bombed, I applauded. This man can't direct a good story to save his life.

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