Movies such as “Maleficent” and “Joker” have popularized films that tell a story from the villain’s point of view, but could “Friday the 13th” from Jason Voorhees’ perspective work? It appears Stephen King has already cracked a successful story, as the famed horror author has revealed on social media that his best unused idea is for a novel called “I Jason.” Per King, the “first-person narrative” tells the story of the “Friday the 13th” franchise through Voorhees’ eyes: “Killed over and over again at Camp Crystal Lake. What a hellish, existential fate!”
“Just thinking about the legal thicket one would have to go through to get permissions makes my head ache,” King added. “And my heart, that too. But gosh, shouldn’t someone tell Jason’s side of the story? Blumhouse could do it as a movie.”
King’s pitch sounds like a “Groundhog’s Day” spin on the “Friday the 13th” format, something Blumhouse has already had box office success with thanks to its “Happy Death Day” horror franchise. The “Friday the 13th” franchise got its start in 1980 with director Sean S. Cunningham’s original and has continued with 11 sequels, most recently with a 2009 reboot directed by Marcus Nispel and produced by Michael Bay. That film included part of an origin story for Jason, but King’s “I Jason” pitch sounds like it would be more exclusively told from the perspective of the slasher icon.
Unfortunately for King, the legal battle over rights to the “Friday the 13th” franchise will probably prevent “I Jason” from ever getting penned or made into a feature film. However, “I Jason” is already earning some support from the likes of Patton Oswalt following King’s reveal. The comedian reached out to King on social media to tell the author, “Aaaaaaaand…I want this novel RIGHT NOW.”
While “I Jason” will remain on King’s list of unwritten novels, there are over a dozen works by King that are now in development as film or television series. The list includes adaptation of “The Boogeyman” (from “A Quiet Place” writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods), “Revival” (from “Doctor Sleep” director Mike Flanagan), and “Salem’s Lot” (from Gary Dauberman).
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