Nevermore: Friday the 13th 3D

Welcome back once again to Nevermore, where I look at some of the most interesting films that were never actually made. This week I bring your attention to Mr. Jason Voorhees and some Camp Crystal Lake shenanigans that unfortunately never came to be, in an unmade film entitled Friday the 13th 3D. We've seen 3D used in the Friday the 13th franchise before in part 3, and while that was nothing more than a fun romp in all its gimmicky glory, this project actually sounded like it could have been something really special. Let us take a look..

Background:

Another Friday the 13th film had been somewhat in development ever since the release of the 2009 remake. Things looked promising in 2013 however, when Warner Bros. gave the full rights of the franchise to Platinum Dunes and Paramount in return for the rights to Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. David Bruckner (The Ritual) was quickly brought on to direct and ideas were thrown around for a found-footage Friday the 13th film. However, when writer Nick Antosca (Hannibal, Channel Zero) was brought on board in 2015, the found-footage concept was scrapped in favour of something much more interesting..

Plot Details:

For once on Nevermore, we actually have a lot of plot details as Antosca released the first draft of his script following the projects cancellation. The film would not have been found-footage, but would have been set in the summer of 1988 instead, with Antosca citing Dazed and Confused and the films of John Hughes as inspiration. This would have been an interesting take and in a way, a throwback to the days of the original Friday the 13th franchise. 

The film would have followed a group of young counsellors at the new camp across from old Camp Crystal Lake. These would have included stoner guy Weezer, cynical girl Sloane, the shy and nerdy Kevin, and his popular, yet likable brother Brad. One thing that stands out about Antosca's script is how much attention he pays to his characters in order to make them likeable. These characters are ones that we definitely could have cared about, making the emotional stakes much higher. While they might sound like your usual genre stereotypes however, Antosca subverts our expectations with the ways in which he develops them and/or kills them off. He also pays a significant attention to dialogue as well, with plenty of memorable quotes throughout.

The film would have begun on the last day of camp, with the counsellors and camp groundskeeper Frank Booth (Blue Velvet reference?) canoeing over to the old Camp Crystal Lake to explore it. After unknowingly grabbing the attention of Jason, the counsellors return to camp and prepare for the coming days after the campers leave. Once the young campers have all left, the counsellors are free to indulge in all the drinking, smoking, and sex they desire, but as always, Jason is never too far behind..

Antosca has no problem keeping us waiting for Jason to arrive. The script is about 105 pages but its not until about 65 pages in that we get a full look at out hockey-mask-wearing killer. As well as that, we don't get any major onscreen kills for a good portion of the film, giving Antosca time to build suspense before his cathartic finale. There are some really memorable death scenes from the script, such as one involving a water slide and another in which Jason walks underwater, very much in the style of Jaws. Yep, this Jason would have also had supernatural abilities much like the Hodder-era Jason, and there is one point in the script where a character witnesses water literally dripping from his flesh. He definitely would have been one of the more memorable versions of the character, and it's a shame we never got a look at him onscreen.

Also, did I mention one of the death scenes plays out to a Talking Heads song?

So What Happened?

Antosca mentions how the people at Platinum Dunes were very enthusiastic about his script, but that a number of other factors got in the way. First of all, the people at Paramount apparently weren't too sold on the 80's setting and wanted more mythology surrounding the character, as opposed to the more mysterious version in his script. Secondly, he also mentions some 'corporate changeover' that happened, after which the new powers that be wanted something different from the script. Ultimately his idea was scrapped and a brand new script was penned by Prisoners screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski. That film however, is for another day, as it too never came to be. Following the failure of Rings at the box-office, Paramount ultimately pulled the plug on Friday the 13th for good, leaving us to wait for some other studio to eventually pick it up.

Chances of it Ever Happening:

Like Jason himself at the end of parts 6 and 7, Antosca's project is dead in the water. However as we know, that never stopped Jason before and it's difficult to imagine him not returning to our screens ever again. As most of you know, a new Halloween film is set to be released this October marking the return of Michael Myers to the big screen. If this is successful, then something tells me Jason will then have much more of a chance at getting another film in the foreseeable future. While it probably won't be Antosca's version we get however, it could take inspiration from his script, who knows? Until then, all we can do is wait. 

Also, if you want you can read Antosca's original first draft here and I'd highly recommend it, it's a fun read and a bittersweet look at what never was.