Founded in 2001 by Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form, Platinum Dunes became known for reimagining popular horror movies from the 1970s and 80s. Their first remake, 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, successfully captured the feel of the original and helped launch Jessica Biel’s career. While 2005’s The Amityville Horror wasn’t as strong – it didn’t offer much that was new – it was still a financial success and marked the film debut of Chloë Grace Moretz.
After the success of Amityville, Hollywood just kept churning out remakes for about five years. Platinum Dunes gave us a prequel to their Leatherface film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and a new take on The Hitcher. They eventually capped things off by revisiting two horror icons: Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. While their A Nightmare on Elm Street remake pretty much ended this remake phase, I have to say their Friday the 13th is surprisingly good. It’s a shame we never got a sequel, because I heard there were some cool concepts floating around for it.
What Was the Sequel to Marcus Nispel’s Friday the 13th Supposed to Look Like & Why Didn’t It Ever Happen?
While the 2009 Friday the 13th remake doesn’t quite recapture the feel of the original four movies like the fan film “Sweet Revenge” does, it successfully brings the scare factor back to the series. In fact, it might be the scariest film in the entire franchise, comparable to Friday the 13th Part III, which benefits from its old-fashioned 3D effects even when watched in 2D. It simply has a less polished look than the movies surrounding it, and surprisingly, that works in its favor.
Similar to Jason in Part III, the version from 2009 – portrayed by Derek Mears – is especially violent. He’s also faster than previous versions, able to run at full speed. If he decides to attack, there’s virtually no escape.
The 2009 Friday the 13th reboot from Platinum Dunes successfully brought Jason Voorhees back to the screen and even opened to a strong $40 million. However, a sequel never materialized. While the initial box office numbers looked good, the film quickly lost momentum. By the fourth day, it was clear the movie wouldn’t have lasting appeal, and that became undeniable when it dropped a staggering 80% in its second weekend, earning only $7.9 million.
A more significant legal battle happened in court. For years, there was a dispute over the intellectual property, and ultimately the original screenwriter, Victor Miller, gained control of the elements he created – including Camp Crystal Lake, Pamela Voorhees, and young Jason. As the movie Scream famously pointed out, the adult version of Jason, the one we’re all afraid of, didn’t appear until the second film.
The legal battle made it incredibly hard to move forward with any new projects. Even now that things have calmed down, Horror Inc. effectively controls the idea of a masked killer wielding a machete, while Victor Miller owns the name “Jason Voorhees.” You need both elements to truly have a Friday the 13th story.
While it’s great that the legal issues are finally leading to new content in the Friday the 13th universe, especially after fans waited nearly 20 years for another film, it’s disappointing we missed out on what would have likely been a snowy sequel to the 2009 remake. After twelve movies, it’s surprising we’ve never seen a winter-themed Friday the 13th film – imagine the creative possibilities with ice and snow! Sadly, that sequel never materialized, but hopefully, we’ll eventually get a Jason Voorhees story set in the winter. I could even write that script in just a couple of days!
Ultimately, Platinum Dunes made a smart decision by shifting away from horror remakes. They’ve found success with television shows like Black Sails and Jack Ryan, and popular film franchises such as A Quiet Place and The Purge. They even briefly revived Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which wasn’t critically acclaimed, but proved profitable.
If Friday the 13th II or Friday the 13th Part 2 had played in theaters, would you have gone to see it? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!
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2026-02-13 21:15