Is This The Director Taking The Helm Of Blumhouse’s Blair Witch Project Reimagining?

Alright, here’s what’s going on with that new Blair Witch Project reboot you might’ve forgotten about (you're not alone, it's been pretty quiet). A couple of years ago, Blumhouse said they were getting ready to take another swing at the 'found footage in the woods' classic—and finally, we might have a director attached.

Meet Dylan Clark (No, Not That One)

Dylan Clark isn’t a recognizable name yet—mainly because he hasn’t released a feature film. If you Googled him and saw another Dylan Clark (the producer behind The Batman and the new Planet of the Apes movies), that’s not him. This Dylan Clark is making his feature directorial debut with Portrait of God, a horror project backed by some heavy hitters: Universal, Sam Raimi, and Jordan Peele.

In case you're wondering, Portrait of God started as a creepy short film, and Clark co-wrote both versions with Joe Russo (not the Marvel guy—there are a lot of Russos and Clarks in this business, apparently). Plot details are locked down, but the short focuses on a religious woman who discovers, well, "what God looks like." Supposedly, there's an Old Testament quote at the start—'No man shall see Me and live'—and things just get darker from there. The gist: if you look at this particular painting, some people see only black, while others see a strangely specific figure in the darkness, and that doesn't lead anywhere good.

'Minimalistic yet menacing, the short offers a counterpoint to the idea of God as a benevolent entity. Viewers of the portrait, beware.'

On the producing side, Peele is working with Win Rosenfeld for Monkeypaw, and Raimi is producing along with Romel Adam via Ghost House Pictures. In short, this guy is definitely being handed the horror baton by some of the genre’s biggest names.

Back to Blair Witch—The Next Chapter?

If you’re getting déjà vu, yes, there have actually been sequels and reboots already. The last one was in 2016, produced (again) by Roy Lee—who’s also back as producer for this new iteration. What’s different is that Jason Blum (who just about owns modern horror at this point) is teaming up with Lee to try to make Blair Witch a multi-film franchise. The general idea: start fresh, bring in a new vibe, and (of course) hopefully get several movies out of it this time around.

This isn't a one-off: Lionsgate and Blumhouse have set up a multi-picture deal so Blumhouse can revive more scary titles from the Lionsgate vaults. The Blair Witch Project update is first in line.

Quick Recap

• Blumhouse is rebooting The Blair Witch Project for Lionsgate’s library of horror titles.
• Roy Lee (produced the 2016 Blair Witch) is back on board.
• Dylan Clark—whose first feature, Portrait of God, is about to debut—is reportedly locked in as director.
• Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi are producing Clark’s other horror film. The guy’s résumé is (suddenly) filling up with power players.
• No plot details for Blair Witch yet—expect a “reimagining” and, if they have their way, an entire new franchise.

Honestly, it’s a little surprising to hand a would-be franchise relaunch to a first-timer, but hey, that’s also pretty close to the original’s DIY spirit, right? If nothing else, Clark is surrounded by some of horror’s smartest people. We’ll see if that pays off when the woods get creepy again.