On Friday, November 13, 2026, Deadline broke the news that Jason Voorhees will return for the first theatrical 'Friday the 13th' feature in nearly two decades — the franchise's lucky 13th entry, slated for 2027.

Steve Miner, who directed 'Part II' and introduced the hockey mask in 'Part III,' will helm the film from a script by emerging screenwriter David Fliegel.

The project is financed and produced independently by the Barsamian family through Horror, Inc., with CatchLight Studios as production partner and Cineverse securing North American distribution rights, including theatrical.

Rolling Stone notes this is the first scheduled release in the horror series in almost 20 years, following the 2009 remake from Marcus Nispel distributed by Warner Bros. and Paramount.

TheWrap reports the franchise had been tangled up in complicated rights issues among various stakeholders since then, which have finally been freed up enough to allow all-new merchandise, a streaming series and, at last, movies.

The original 1980 film, made independently for roughly $550,000 and acquired by Paramount in a bidding war, launched a durable low-budget sequel machine whose films have collectively grossed nearly $450 million worldwide, per Deadline.

Horror, Inc. Executive Vice President Robbie Barsamian told Deadline that for generations of fans, Jason's identity is inseparable from Miner's creative choices, and that reuniting under a fully independent model gives them the creative control to honor what makes Jason the greatest slasher of all time.

Miner said in a statement carried by Rolling Stone that when he put the hockey mask on Jason for 'Part III,' he knew it would create a truly scary image, but had no idea it would live on as one of the most iconic symbols in horror films.

TheWrap attributes to Barsamian the claim that this is the scariest and most brutal movie the team has ever made.

In his exclusive interview with TheWrap, Robbie Barsamian promised innovative kills, practical effects, scares and classic slasher energy with the bar raised across the board, calling the kills the most creative, brutal, bloody and visceral the franchise has done.

He said fan feedback shaped a new hockey mask that longtime classic fans will love, and that the characters are more relatable and dynamic, so audiences root for them to survive.

CatchLight Studios co-founder Jeanette Volturno told Deadline the team is creating a practically-shot film that is relentless, cinematic and terrifying.

The announcement lands on the heels of Peacock and A24's prequel series 'Crystal Lake,' which premiered all eight episodes on October 15 and generated 1.3 billion minutes viewed in its first 11 days, per Nielsen figures cited by Deadline — Peacock's fourth-best scripted-original debut.

TheWrap reports the show is already the fourth most-watched Peacock original scripted series ever, and says Barsamian believes everyone is ready to see hockey-mask-wearing Jason back in theaters without overly explaining the mythology.

Empire notes the news coincides with a new 'Nightmare on Elm Street' installment percolating at Paramount Primal.

Barsamian tells TheWrap this is definitely the first of many new films to come, with real connective tissue carrying into the films that follow — the foundation for where the movie franchise goes next.

He framed the independent financing as putting their own skin in the game, saying Cineverse brings a forward-thinking, horror-focused approach to wide theatrical release after its success with the 'Terrifier' sequels, as Deadline quotes CEO Chris McGurk celebrating Jason's return to theaters where he belongs.

The film is set for 2027, with more movies, games and kills promised next, per TheWrap.