A 'Blair Witch' TV Series Is Possibly In The Works
The Blair Witch Project was one of the most successful, and most effective, horror movies in film history. The multiple sequels? Well, that's another story.
While follow-ups to Blair Witch haven't been able to retain the magic of the first film, a return to Burkittsville isn't out of the question. Original Blair Witch co-creator Eduardo Sanchez recently revealed that a possible Blair Witch TV series is in the works, bringing Elly Kedward and her scary stick figures from the big screen to the small.
The original Blair Witch Project wasn't just a good horror film – it was a cultural phenomenon. The film's found footage style helped turn it into something more than a low budget indie horror flick; instead, it became something that audiences actually thought was real. The element of surprise definitely played a big part in the first Blair Witch's success, and that surprise was never able to carry over into the two sequels that followed: 2000's Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and 2016's Blair Witch.
Yet original Blair Witch creators Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick actually came up with a rich, detailed mythology for their spooky little film; a mythology that was explored in several tie-in books, comics and mini-documentaries that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. There's a wealth of material for potential future Blair projects to draw on, which helps keeps the dream of more Blair Witch alive.
Appearing recently on the Diminishing Returns podcast, The Blair Witch Project co-director Eduardo Sanchez revealed that there have been rumblings about a potential Blair Witch TV series that would help revitalize the franchise. Sanchez was vague on just what the show would be about and whether it would serve more as a prequel delving into the Blair Witch history or be a continuation similar to the recent Blair Witch film:
Sanchez: "For us, it's a very natural thing to go and say "Hey, let's do a frickin' Blair Witch show and you can say it's from the original creators and we can bring in a whole bunch of interesting directors to direct episodes".
Diminishing Returns: Would you see that as an anthology thing with prequel episodes or would it all be found-footage stuff?Sanchez: "Well, you know. I can't really discuss. I think that the idea of a Blair Witch anthology has always been very – just a really interesting thing. You're close. You're in the ballpark. You know, and I think it might be one of those things that might be – you know? The more you think about it, you're like "That might be the perfect... a TV show. You know?" So, we'll see what happens, but I think that's the next big thing for Blair Witch. Probably TV."
Sanchez goes on to clarify that Lionsgate is the one calling the shots since they hold the rights to the franchise. But the indication here is that a Blair Witch TV series is a distinct possibility. In the meantime, why not revisit the original Blair Witch Project and the unjustly maligned Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 for Halloween? Both are currently streaming on HBO Go. You could also revisit 2016's Blair Witch, but honestly you're probably better off ignoring it completely.
Update:
It's worth noting that Daniel Myrick, the co-director of The Blair Witch Project, says he has no info regarding a Blair Witch TV show, and that he hasn't been contacted about the idea. Of course, as we mentioned above, Lionsgate controls the rights to Blair Witch, so they're under no obligation to contact Myrick should they want to go ahead with the show (although it would be nice to get the original Blair Witch creators involved in some capacity).