Sean S. Cunningham produced and directed the first Friday the 13th film in 1980. It started a horror franchise that has since seen the release of 12 films, a television series, video games, novels, and comic books, amongst other items.
Unfortunately for Cunningham, and fans of the franchise, he has been mired in a legal battle with Victor Miller, who co-created and wrote the script for the original film, about who owns the rights to which parts of the content. Due to this battle, Cunningham has been unable to work on any new installment to the franchise.
Miller launched a suit against Cunningham over a decade ago that saw him [Miller] reclaim the rights to the original characters as well as the story. While Cunningham challenged the judgment, he lost and was effectively barred from the franchise.
However, the same is not true of Miller, who can order a prequel series as long as it doesn't trespass and use elements from the other films in the series. The writer did just that and is reportedly working on a prequel series for Peacock with Bryan Fuller, of Hannibal fame, and A24.
Now, Cunningham seems to have followed in his footsteps. In what will be welcome news to fans of the franchise, the director and producer is pressing ahead with development on a reboot despite the legal battle. However, it remains to be seen whether the project will see the light of day.