In the days after the announcement that Steve Miner would direct the first theatrical Friday the 13th since 2009, TheWrap secured an exclusive email interview with producer Robbie Barsamian, executive vice president of Horror, Inc. and the third generation of his family to run the franchise.

He confirmed the new film is being independently financed by the Barsamian family itself, produced with partner CatchLight Studios, and distributed theatrically in North America by Cineverse.

Barsamian described the entry as the thirteenth Friday the 13th film and said the family 'put our own skin in the game' to return Jason Voorhees to theaters.

The scale of the producer's confidence is the surprise here. Barsamian told TheWrap the new film 'is the scariest and most brutal movie we've ever made,' claiming the kills are 'easily the most creative, brutal, bloody and visceral we've ever done.'

That is a bold bar for a series whose previous twelve installments span from the 1980 original — made independently for roughly $550,000 and acquired by Paramount in a bidding war, as Deadline recounts — to the 2009 Warner Bros. reboot.

He also revealed a fan-facing flourish: feedback shaped a new hockey mask that longtime classic fans are expected to love.

Both Deadline and KOMO confirm the core verifiable facts: Miner, who put the machete in Jason's hands in Part II and introduced the hockey mask in Part III, directs from a script by emerging screenwriter David Fliegel, with a 2027 release planned.

Miner told Deadline, 'I had no idea that it would live on as one of the most iconic symbols in horror films. I'm thrilled to come back and continue the legacy.'

The timing rides momentum from the Peacock/A24 prequel series Crystal Lake, which Deadline says drew 1.3 billion minutes viewed in its first 11 days per Nielsen, and from the Mike P. Nelson short Sweet Revenge marking Jason Universe's 45th year.

According to TheWrap's interview, this film is 'definitely the first of many new films to come.' Barsamian said the goal is to 'kick off the next era of the franchise on the big screen' with 'real connective tissue' that carries into the films that follow — a foundation, not a standalone.

He framed the take as the first that 'bridges the raw energy of the original films with where horror is today,' with more relatable characters fans root for. After years of tangled rights issues TheWrap notes had kept Jason off screens, the independent model restores creative control to Horror, Inc.

TheWrap paired its exclusive interview with moving footage of the franchise's keeper explaining the comeback, giving fans Barsamian's own voice on what he calls a 'blood-soaked thrill ride' made for decades-long fans and a new generation alike.

He promises more movies, more games and more kills ahead, and says the film delivers Jason 'without overly explaining the mythology.' For a franchise whose fans TheWrap calls the most loyal, passionate — and patient — in the world, hearing the plan directly from Horror, Inc. is the event.

Deadline and KOMO both report the film will arrive in 2027, with CatchLight Studios — behind A24's Heretic and Umma — handling production and Cineverse, fresh off its Terrifier success, mounting a wide theatrical release.

Deadline also notes the franchise's past films collectively grossed nearly $450 million worldwide and that Horror, Inc. launched the Jason Universe in 2024 to expand into games, collectibles and experiences.

With a new Nightmare on Elm Street installment percolating at Paramount, per Deadline, the slasher revival appears to be just beginning.