Original Blair Witch Cast Wants Retroactive Residuals And Consultation Rights

The TJCS crew discuss the original cast of The Blair Witch Project asking Lionsgate for retroactive residuals and consultation on future projects.
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[@NeelTheSphynx]

Thing is the three actors essentially wrote the movie considering that it was almost entirely improv on their part. And they also did all of the filming and played themselves. After the film a lot of the world legitimately believed they were dead so they were unable to find more work because of it. They've also received no residuals in the 25 years since it's been released. Their names and likenesses were also used in the 2016 Blair Witch which was produced by Lionsgate.

[@RichardHead.]

Dude, PLEASE can you stop with the sponsorship placement MID-SENTENCE! It's so fucking obnoxious.

[@glasspretender]

They’re not even trying anymore

[@byronkennedy7203]

300k for unknown actors is pretty good money

[@WithoutRemorse12]

They probably took the deal thinking they would get future opportunities by playing ball with the studios. They haven't done much since.

[@DamonBrazzellUkesploitation]

"Never sign anything without a lawyer." - Gene Simmons. Also, apparently Artisan was using creative accounting to tell the filmmakers that they weren't making profits and they might end up owing the studio money.

[@mosquitoinyourears9973]

They cashed out, not thinking it would revolutionize horror. It really blew up. Everyone was talking about it like crazy. I don't understand why they didn't use that money to continue an awesome acting career. They were really convincing in this masterpiece.

[@JoePesos]

They are owed nothing, they decided to cash out for 300k because they didn't believe the points would end up being worth that much. They didn't want to take the risk but they think they deserve the rewards, all they had to do was hold on to the points and take the same gamble others did and this wouldn't be a conversation.

[@danielstewart8339]

I dont know about these things, was/is it possible to have a split between the choices?

[@anthony310h]

@@danielstewart8339 yes your agent would negotiate that for you but a lot of times the studio is gonna say well take it or leave it because we can just hire someone else they took the money so they are owed nothing

[@cheezyfilmsproductions1842]

I don't know, considering you technically can give them partial writing credits since the screenplay was basically entirely improvised, I think they probably deserve a better part of the insane success the movie achieved.

[@JoePesos]

@@cheezyfilmsproductions1842 a better part than what? They were given points so they had a percentage of all the profits coming their way for the work. They had a choice, keep the points and if the movie bombs or only makes a few million (like most low budget movies) they would make a few thousand dollars, keep the points and if it becomes a massive hit they get tens of millions or sell the points for a guaranteed 300k. They choose to sell. If I own stock and sell it low I can't go back to the buyer and demand more money if the value skyrockets. Just the same if I sell high someone can't demand the money back from me if the value craters.

[@cheezyfilmsproductions1842]

@@JoePesos I don’t give a shit dude, they had no idea it would be this massive culture defining hit, and because they bet wrong doesn’t lessen their contribution to it. And if that money isn’t going to them, it’s just going to a bunch of studio assholes who didn’t have anything to do with making the movie. I’d rather the people who made the movie get a better cut rather than the studio assholes

[@isaacmartinez6904]

The actors who appeared in the movie don’t deserve any money. If they wanted money, they should have negotiated and hired a lawyer. I remembered when Jon Heder ask for money after the surprise success of Napoleon Dynamite. And the studios and the director gave him a couple million dollars which is more than Jon’s original payment got: a thousand dollars.

[@Elmgren76]

Michael Bien’s image was used in one scene in Alien 3. He was paid more for that than his salary for Aliens. So yes, these actors should be paid if their image or likeness is used in future films.

[@darthnilus6636]

No if not negociants first

[@TheJ1s]

Can we have ads after the conversation done? That mid-sentence thing is very annoying.

[@gangofrobots]

Correction: The video camera used in the film was actually a RCA Pro 8mm and it was directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick.

[@jdovma1]

The cast of the Bare Wench Project wants in too. They'll never forget how they were treated. They've got great mammaries.

[@nebularain3338]

Have to agree with John here. I was expecting some story of how the actors were contracted to get residuals, but a buyout happened and the company didn't honour/tried to get out of their agreement. In that case I would have 100% been on the side of the cast. However, you simply can't change the terms of a deal that you agreed to after it's done. Move on.

[@RenePeraza]

Well, if the cast was SAG and the director was DGA - and they hadn't sold-off rights in the early 2000s, if I'm understanding correctly - they'd have recourse for residuals.

[@Infisly]

All I've read about this is that Artisan supposedly lied to the actors about the film's financial performance, suggesting that it was flopping really hard. I don't know if that's true but considering what they did with BW2 I wouldn't be surprised. Is it possible they traded their points for a pay cheque because they were misled by the distributor that the film was bombing?

[@gsentinel4821]

When you sign these initial deals it’s always wise to have a reputable attorney with you who would be aware of their clients options.

[@edgardaniels1402]

As long as we’re requesting things, I want my money back!!

[@benm5970]

This sounds like they all wanna be able to just not have to work again and just live off of continuous residual checks being given to them for the rest of their lives

[@masonteague4039]

Hard to believe Blair witch project Is 25 years old

[@jred201]

Still the scariest movie I've ever watched. Never saw the Witch. It felt real and at 15 years old, I thought it was truly "found footage".

[@SoChillGamer]

Me and my father went and seen this when it came out at theater. My father had no idea what was going on lol

[@anthonyphares4099]

"A new Vision for a new generation" Could this be the first big VR movie...?

[@ImaRush]

“Blair Witch for the new generation.” In what world does one not know this is fake instead of real. Look to the future. Not the past.

[@anthony310h]

I agree with most of the comments they are owed nothing they took the lump sum. Contract they would get nothing.

[@mrnegativepredictsthefuture]

They should just rename it to the “Scare Witch” project, and those fools def won’t see a dime

[@mothmanmedia8511]

Makes me wonder if that is why the the 2016 Blair Witch was surprise released under the name The Woods. Maybe Lionsgate had suspicions that the actors would cause a scene. Also that movie used lots of the footage and voices of those original actors. I bet they didn’t get paid for that either, pretty wild.

[@SharpCinema]

I think you can make a point about them selling their shares (and so should not complain) without bringing a ridiculous "chair and table maker" metaphor. Being a creative partner (in this case writer/actors) on a film or TV project is a totally different job then being hired as a carpenter to make some restaurant furniture and they require different ways of thinking about the profit sharing aspect. The film and the creativity therein IS the product - furniture is NOT A RESTAURANT. So no it's a terrible metaphor, completely dumb and unfair.

[@jasonrice9127]

So funny the cowboys and keyboard warriors coming in here defending the studio while putting the smack down on Heather, Michael and Josh. You can guarantee that they asked Lionsgate about residuals and points back in the day but Lionsgate more than likely laughed at all of them, including Myrick and Sanchez, because that’s what studios do. I hope to hell they all get what they’re asking for cause even though The Last Broadcast and Ghostwatch beat Blair Witch to the punch, it was Blair Witch that truly started this entire found footage/faux documentary genre in earnest and got the studios to dump millions into films like this.

[@shyrodillasyo]

Rocky wants his franchise back too but its not gonna happen! 😢

[@johansvensson833]

to be fair stallone could use the 30 year copyrigth law to get rocky back becuse he wrote the script it has happened before king got pet cemetary back the family of the die hard author got die hard back and that was also the issue with the friday the 13th lawsuit

[@adammohamed..]

@@johansvensson833 it’s 35 years and no he can’t because that’s from 1978 onwards.

[@thats_suber]

Isn’t most of the footage in the movie from the cameras the actors used? So it’s more than just their likeness.

[@bugeye177]

In what way will this reboot be different. I just don't see how it would be different. Hmmmm

[@Blasian89]

They'll be in the woods making tiktok videos lol

[@shyrodillasyo]

Thats my chair!! I dont know you!! 😅😅

[@cementbox4430]

No I wouldn’t give you the money back, unless I take that shit back, you ain’t keeping em then. You should not use likeness without paying if you keep using it. Simple.

[@josermaiz]

Good

[@captainmarvelous7678]

Maybe actors need to negotiate higher base pay for all projects going forward and get rid of residuals all together. Im tired of hearing actors complain about them. In every other industry you get paid once and thats it. If i build your house and your house becomes famous and people want to pay to visit it i dont get to come back and ask for more money because its my work. If I fix your car and your car lasts 20 years with no more issues i dont get to ask you for more money because i did a better job than was expexted. If I teach science to the kid who grows up to cure cancer do I get to ask for money because he used what I taught him? The actors and actresses who are important enough/ a big enough draw already get producer credits or large enough lump sum payments that residuals are not an issue. All these guys who were no names when they started a project and then want more money because it became successful later I feel like, if you believe you deserved money going forward forever from the project you would've negotiated that into your initial contract and turned the project down if they said no. The fact that you're only come back years later to ask for more money is just you regretting your decision, which is no one's fault but your own. I'm not talking about examples where there was an agreement and it's not being honored like scarjo btw.

[@JR-182]

What's ownership points?

[@shyrodillasyo]

Its kinda like staying on the boat but all 3 decided to jump off!! 😅

[@cali4nia420]

I think they should get money for their like likeness and their names for promotion but thats it. 💯

[@shyrodillasyo]

Those 3 poor actors got the TLC treatment! 😢😢 #dontgochasingwaterfalls

[@mattsmoviemagic8123]

me personally I think remaking blair witch is pointless. come up with something original.

[@PhantomFlick]

We don’t really know what it’ll be exactly. Besides, Blair Witch 2016 might as well have been a remake. Except it was bad.

[@elchamber]

I want my money back, then. The movie was boring.

[@JerichoSteele]

Same. I watched it and was left wondering what was the big deal?

[@anthony310h]

John, you’re not making any sense they don’t need to be considered if they use their image to promote the sequels. They have no rights because they have no rights to the movie.

[@BeUnlimitedX]

The likeness argument is a separate issue tho.

[@BeUnlimitedX]

Unless they sold 'character' rights as well.

[@anthony310h]

@@BeUnlimitedX no it’s not because they don’t own the movie and have no back in deal regarding residuals image, etc.. This is why when they tried to sue back then they got nothing because that’s not in their contract.

[@SharpCinema]

Because you agree to appear in one movie doesn't mean that you've agreed to appear in endless sequels. You get paid each time seperately.

[@anepicjourney]

Actors are some of the most ego inflated people in the planet, hundreds of people make films happen but because the camera is pointed at them, pretending to be someone else, saying lines that (most of the time) someone else wrote and they think they need to keep getting money for the rest of their lives. Acting is an oversaturated profession, and when there's saturation, there isn't enough money to go around, that's natural. In ANY other profession when this happens people have to switch to something else, but actors believe they're special and need to keep getting money to live off of because they can't/don't want to do anything else.

[@matanm6829]

Bad take. They didn't make the chairs, they are the faces of the damn restaurant! they are a core part of a small brilliant project that became huge and without them there is no movie at all and no one makes a dime. They should AT LEAST get the residuals they deserve for a project that made freaking 250 million dollars at the box office alone and will lead to more money for Lionsgate. They are the faces of the BWP for the last 25 years and I hope they fight and get every dollar they deserve.

[@astralzombie]

Unfortunately, like others here have reiterated, they willingly sold their own shares of points on the film and franchise for $300k, so in short, they made a dumb decision when they were in their 20’s…legally and morally they don’t have any entitlement to any of the things they are asking for. Now, had they not sold their points, this would be an entirely different story.

[@daga2996]

That's not how life works buddy

[@allenscott1106]

They sold their points of ownership for $300,000. They got what they negotiated, and that’s it.

[@JoePesos]

What a terrible take, not only did you ignore the fact they sold their stake, to think the movie couldn't happen without them is laughable. It may shock you but there are many actors of the face of the earth, if one person doesn't choose to take a part somebody else will, the show goes on. I'm sure this fantasy that without this one actor movies cease to exist is comforting to you, but it is just a fantasy.

[@ojon12389]

Personally I haven't seen the movie so I can't say about their acting, but it seems to me that BWP was successful because it was a new idea, and not solely because of the actors. The faces of the restaurant were replaceable if the original 3 didn't want to do it, and the movie would be just as popular.

[@GothicSamurai85]

They should have gotten more than 300k

[@steve0szymanski]

They would have if they kept their points.

[@ricardothompson2700]

If they kept their ownership points they would continue to profit. However they chose to sell those points for $300,000. Nobody cheated them.

[@anthony310h]

Back then, that was more than what it is now

[@ML-yn9yu]

Nah, that equals 700k now which is decent amount for an unknown now.

[@TrexTheDinosaur]

When I first watched the original The Blair Witch Project as a kid at home back when we had VHS 📼 it didn’t scared me at all 🥱

[@hopefultraveler3543]

Brilliant marketing; silly, campy movie. I saw the original shortly after it opened; the audience were ROFLOL, turning the movie into a Mystery Science Theatre-like experience.

[@hkhipster]

they just want money

[@WithoutRemorse12]

They want career opportunities. Since they were part of something that was influential on horror genre for the last 30 years.

[@YouMe-ru6wi]

Who doesn't😅

[@firesaint4569]

No shit

[@Tora_Dj]

Just a typical case of bad choices and getting excited as the 300k. It’s sad but know you’re worth next time

[@CharlessMovieChannel]

When it comes to their Asks: . A) Residuals: FAIR & DESERVED!!!! B) Consultation: FAIR & ABSOLUTELY DESERVED!!!! C) Grant for Young Filmmakers: Deserved, Should Happen, Lionsgate is never gonna go for it.

[@valeria262]

They sold their ownership, they are owed absolutely nothing

[@SharpCinema]

Bad deals are sometimes re-negotiated if there is public pressure to fix them. That's what they are doing. Agree or disagree with their cause, it's a fair business tactic.

[@s.a.w.]

Movie was Horrible!