Blair Witch Project Co-Writer Says He Co-Wrote a Sequel Script

The co-writer of The Blair Witch Project has revealed that he and his fellow scriptor wrote an unproduced sequel to the hit found footage film. Daniel Myrick spoke with Bloody Disgusting about his 1999 film, which really kickstarted the found footage craze, and what his and Edward Sanchez’s follow-up film would have been. Myrick said that the new film would have looked further back into the mythology of the franchise.

Lionsgate did produce a sequel — two of them, in fact. The first, Blair Witch: Book of Shadows, was a financial disappointment and a critical flop, losing itself in what many viewed as an incoherent storyline that abandoned the found footage format. The 2016 sequel Blair Witch was directed by Adam Wingard and was only mildly profitable with $45.2 million worldwide against a $5 million budget and marketing costs. Myrick and Sanchez were not involved in either film.

“[Lionsgate hasn’t] been too interested in our input, which is sort of ironic,” Myrick said about the sequels. “But whenever [they’re] ready, we’re hanging out – if you want us to come back in and take a stab at it.”

He added that the script they wrote is “still on the shelf over at Lionsgate. We implied that [the mythology] goes before the Elly Kedward story.”

He continued on to say they see a lot of potential in the film’s universe, noting, “I’ve been preaching this gospel, both Ed and I, for years. We set up a universe – a Blair Witch universe – that is, by design, to be explored. As a creative person, I love the idea of having this standalone Rustin Parr movie, or an original film that feels like The Witch – ya know, a period piece. And it doesn’t have to say “Blair Witch,” but you know it’s part of the Blair Universe. So there’s plenty to mine from what we’ve created and what’s already been established. And all you have to do is imply that it’s part of the Blair Witch Universe. The fans will know. So that’s been our pitch to Lionsgate since day one – you’ve got all the episodes ready to be done…let’s do it in a cool way. It’s ripe to be done. And I think it still can be done. How cool would it be to make Rustin Parr like a black and white noir… You could do a historical period piece of the Elly Kedward story. You could have four or five of these movies that are all part of the Blair Witch canon, that are their own standalone films – their own standalone style and look. I think it’d be really popular.”

Lionsgate has not revealed what or even if they have any plans for future projects in that universe. The original remains one of the most profitable indy films of all time with $248.6 million worldwide against a $60,000 budget.