Hey Mike Flanagan, Can You Save Friday The 13th Next?

Summary

• Flanagan’s horror track record establishes him as the perfect candidate to revive the Friday the 13th franchise.
• His success in adapting classic horror novels showcases his ability to breathe new life into beloved horror stories.
• Flanagan’s involvement with Stephen King projects makes him a busy director, but one can still hope for a Friday the 13th reboot.

Mike Flanagan‘s established history of hits in the horror genre makes it hard not to believe that only he can save the Friday the 13th franchise. While Mike Flanagan has been involved with filmmaking for over two decades, he did not garner mainstream attention until the early 2010s when he started directing full-feature films. He further rose in the ranks as a horror director when his movies like Hush and Gerald’s Game started receiving wide acclaim from both viewers and critics.

After helming a line of successful horror movies, Flanagan dipped his feet in the world of television in 2018 and put his impressive ability to adapt classic horror novels on full display. Since then, he has only further solidified his reputation as a master of his craft, explaining why he is getting the opportunity to adapt several original horror novels and direct reboots of popular horror franchises. Since the Friday the 13th franchise could also benefit from his expertise, it would be great if he ever considers directing its reboot in the near future.

The Friday The 13th Franchise Explained: What’s Going On With The Prequel Show & Movie Future?

The Franchise’s Future Plans Seem Ambiguous

Towards the end of 2022, a Friday the 13th prequel show, Crystal Lake, was confirmed. A24 was announced to be the studio behind it while it was scheduled to be streamed on Peacock. Adrienne King, who had previously appeared in Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), and the fan film Jason Rising (2021), was also confirmed as one of the cast members for the series. However, even though the show was initially supposed to be written and executive produced by Bryan Fuller and Victor Miller, Fuller eventually departed from the project.

Since then, no new announcements surrounding the show’s new showrunner have been made. A potential film reboot for the franchise has also been in the talks. As reports suggest, this reboot was pitched by Jeff Locker, Jeremy Weiss, and Sean Cunningham in early 2023. Along with the reboot, the three filmmakers reportedly also had ideas for an alternate sequel to the original Friday the 13th in mind. Unfortunately, only little seems to be known about these sequel and reboot plans.

After Taking Over The Exorcist Franchise, Mike Flanagan Would Be Perfect For Saving Friday The 13th

Flanagan Has An Impressive Horror Track Record

After collaborating with Netflix for a long time and delivering one hit horror television show after another, Mike Flanagan is finally returning to directing movies again. While his next project is an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck, he has also been taken aboard as the director for a reimagining of The Exorcist. Only time will tell whether Flanagan’s take on the horror classic will be as brilliant as the original or another mediocre addition to the franchise like 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer.

Flanagan has previously worked on the critically acclaimed slasher
Hush
, proving he can masterfully handle a
Friday the 13th
reboot if given the opportunity.

However, given how Flanagan has an established history of turning classic horror tales like The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Turn of the Screw into scintillating television adaptations, it is hard not to believe he will save The Exorcist franchise. Since the Friday the 13th franchise has also not been as compelling as its early installments in a long time, Mike Flanagan would also be the perfect choice to breathe new life into it. Flanagan has previously worked on the critically acclaimed slasher Hush, proving he can masterfully handle a Friday the 13th reboot if given the opportunity.

Every Upcoming Mike Flanagan Movie & TV Show

Flanagan Is Involved With Two Stephen King Projects

Boasting a star-studded cast that includes Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, among others, Mike Flanagan’s take on Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck is perhaps one of his most anticipated upcoming movie projects. As previously mentioned, the horror auteur will also be working on an untitled Exorcist movie, which is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2026. The director is also associated with an adaptation of Christopher Pike’s 1992 novel, The Season of Passage. However, most details surrounding this project are presently unknown.

Mike Flanagan is passionate about the Christopher Pike adaptation and even once revealed (via Twitter) that the project has been his dream since he was a teenager. Interestingly, The Life of Chuck is not the only Stephen King adaptation Mike Flanagan has his eyes on. As reports confirm, he owns the rights to develop a TV adaptation of the Stephen King’s The Dark Tower book series. With so many Mike Flanagan projects lined up for the new future, the director may have little time to accommodate a Friday the 13th reboot. However, one can still hope he will pick it up someday.