Today is Friday the 13th, and Jason Voorhees chose the date to announce his return. Horror, Inc., the company that controls the franchise, said a 13th Friday the 13th movie will reach theaters worldwide in 2027, directed by Steve Miner, the filmmaker who put the machete in Jason’s hand in Part 2 and the hockey mask on his face in Part III.
What the announcement leaves out is just as interesting: there is no title, no cast and no release date. Below I separate what is confirmed from what is blank, explain why the choice of director says more than the press release does, and give my own read, clearly marked as mine, on whether an independent Jason is a smart bet.
The announcement at a glance
The press release and the outlets I checked, including Deadline, Rolling Stone and Gizmodo, match on the first group below. The second group is what none of them could report because it hasn’t been announced.
- Director
- Steve Miner, who directed Part 2 (1981) and Part III (1982)
- Writer
- David Fliegel, described in coverage as an emerging screenwriter
- Money
- Financed and produced by the Barsamian family through Horror, Inc., with CatchLight Studios as production partner
- Distribution
- Cineverse in North America, theatrical included, with a global theatrical release planned
- Timing
- 2027, with no day or month
- Not announced
- Title, cast, rating, budget, shoot dates, and whether it continues an earlier story or starts over
Why Steve Miner is the real headline
Miner started out as a regular collaborator of Sean S. Cunningham, working behind the scenes on the 1980 original. His directing debut was its first sequel, and he directed the third film less than a year later. According to Bloody Disgusting, he is still the only director to have made more than one film in the series. He went on to direct Halloween H20 in 1998 and Lake Placid in 1999, and in recent years most of his credits are in television.
In his statement, Miner said he knew the hockey mask would make a scary image for Part III but never imagined it would outlive the movie as one of horror’s signature symbols. The mask did not appear in the franchise until that film, which makes this hire unusual. The man returning is the person who made the character look the way everyone remembers.
My take: Studios usually revive a slasher by hiring whoever is hot in horror that year. Here the owner went back to the person who made Jason iconic. I read that as a promise about tone: this is meant to feel like the movies fans grew up with, not a reinvention. The risk is just as clear. Miner is 75, and the feature credits on his Wikipedia page stop in 2008. Nostalgia can sell tickets once, but it cannot direct a scene.
What “independent” means here
The last theatrical Friday the 13th was the 2009 reboot, released by Warner Bros. and directed by Marcus Nispel. This time there is no major studio. Horror, Inc. says the Barsamian family is financing the film itself, and executive vice president Robbie Barsamian said the “fully independent model” protects creative control. Cineverse, which distributed Terrifier 3 in theaters, handles North America. Per the Haunted Attraction Network, its CEO said on the company’s earnings update that day it will release the film widely without outside money, and that more specifics would come in the next few weeks. The announcement also promises practical kills, and CatchLight’s co-founder described a practically shot film.
It is also a return to where the franchise began. Cunningham’s original was a small independent production before Paramount bought it, and Cosmic Book News puts its budget at around $550,000.
My take: I think this is the right bet, and the reason is money more than art. Recent horror hits, which I broke down in my 2026 horror boom piece, are movies that cost little and became events on their own. A brand as famous as Jason can do that. The danger is that a wide release without a studio’s marketing machine has to be won entirely on word of mouth and the mask, and the announcement gives us nothing to judge that yet.
What nobody has said yet
These are the open questions people are already asking. I am not guessing at answers.
- The title and cast
Neither exists publicly. Coverage so far calls it the untitled 13th film.
- The release date
Friday, Aug. 13, 2027 is the only Friday the 13th next year, and Part III opened on Aug. 13, 1982, exactly 45 years earlier. ComicBook noted the calendar fact. No one involved has connected it to this film, so treat it as a coincidence of the calendar, not a date.
- The story
The announcement doesn’t say whether the film continues any earlier timeline or begins a new one. Twelve earlier films don’t always line up with each other, so this answer matters.
- The Crystal Lake link
Horror, Inc. lists Crystal Lake, the A24 prequel series on Peacock, among its Jason Universe projects. Deadline reports it drew 1.3 billion minutes viewed in its first 11 days, per Nielsen. Whether the movie touches that world is unstated. My Crystal Lake guide covers the series.
Jason by the numbers
These figures explain why this property keeps coming back, and why a small budget is part of its history.
My three tests for the 13th movie
When a title, cast and date arrive, this is how I plan to judge the film. These are my own criteria, not anything the filmmakers said.
- 1Does the mask still scare?My confidence: medium
Miner made the image, but one famous object is not a movie. I want Jason treated as a presence the camera waits on, not a logo that walks around.
- 2Does it pick a story and commit?My confidence: low until we know more
A franchise this tangled needs a clear answer on where it sits. A new viewer should be able to walk in without homework.
- 3Can it open without a studio?My confidence: medium
Cineverse’s Terrifier 3 release shows a small distributor can get a horror film into theaters. It will need a clear release date and trailer to reach people who never read an announcement like this one.
Questions people are searching for
Is there a new Friday the 13th movie?
Yes. Horror, Inc. announced on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 that a 13th Friday the 13th feature will open in theaters worldwide in 2027. It would be the first theatrical entry since the 2009 reboot.
Who is directing the new Friday the 13th movie?
Steve Miner, who directed Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Part III (1982). The script is by David Fliegel.
When does the new Friday the 13th movie come out?
The only timing given is 2027. No day or month has been announced. Friday, Aug. 13, 2027 is the year’s only Friday the 13th, but no announcement ties the film to it.
Who is in the cast?
No cast has been announced, and neither has a title or a rating.
Is the movie connected to the Crystal Lake series on Peacock?
That has not been said. Horror, Inc. lists Crystal Lake among its Jason Universe projects, but the announcement does not say whether the film continues any earlier story or starts a new one.
Where will I be able to watch it?
In theaters. Cineverse has North American distribution rights, including theatrical. No streaming plans have been announced.
Why is it called the 13th movie?
Twelve Friday the 13th films came before it, from the 1980 original to the 2009 reboot, so this one is the 13th.
I like what has been announced and I want to see the rest. Hiring Miner, promising practical kills and paying for it independently all point in one direction: a film built for people who love Jason. What I can’t judge yet is the part that decides whether it works, which is the script, the cast and the story it chooses to tell. For now, this is a strong announcement of a film that still has to prove it is a movie.
