The incredibly long-running 'Friday the 13th' franchise hasn't had a new sequel in 13 years. Why not? Well, original director Sean Cunningham has been embroiled in a legal battle with screenwriter Victor Miller since 2016. And now, it looks like their case is coming to an end.
For those in need of an update, Miller has filed a copyright termination request for regain the rights to 'Friday the 13th' and its characters Pamela Voorhees, Alice Hardy and Jason himself - in 2016.
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In 2018, a judge ruled that Miller should receive rights under the Copyright Act's right of termination. Cunningham fought the ruling, taking it to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The suit remained there for nearly three years.
In Cunningham's eyes, Miller was just a contract employee who therefore had no rights to the script he was writing. But in September, the court found that Miller was not an independent contractor, meaning he has copyright.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The 2nd United States Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a victory for him in a copyright termination battle. As a result, [Miller is] ready to claim domestic rights to the franchise.” However, international rights still belong to Cunningham's company.
While this update brought the case closer to a conclusion, there were still opportunities for new appeals – or even a petition to the Federal Supreme Court. But according to entertainment attorney Larry Zerner (who happened to play Shelley on Friday the 13th, part III), Cunningham has not filed a petition to appeal the decision, which makes it appear that the case has finally he finished.
Although the domestic rights to the first film were returned to Miller, both sides still need to figure out a way to resolve the disagreement if there is ever another 'Friday the 13th' movie on the horizon. future.
