Corey Feldman senses that the end of the Friday the 13th legal battle is imminent and it's already making him think about what he wants next from the franchise. Feldman, who originated the role of Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, wants to return as the character in a legacy sequel that will bring him face-to-face with Jason once again.
During an exclusive chat with Movieweb, Feldman talked about the current state of the Friday the 13th franchise and the legal battle that has left the brand pretty dormant. In case you were unaware, original Friday the 13th producer and director, Sean Cunningham, has been at war with screenwriter, Victor Miller, over the issue regarding Friday the 13th profits. Cunningham's stance is that Miller isn't entitled to any profits from the franchise and although a judge ruled in Miller's favor back in 2018, Cunningham's legal team filed an appeal. In the midst of this, the global pandemic came into play and this further delayed a final ruling after Cunnigham put in his bid to appeal the original ruling.
According to Feldman in the new interview, a lawyer notified him that the rights issues have been worked out which hints at the fact that an agreement may have finally been reached over profits. This will be music to the ears of Friday the 13th fans all over the world and, If this proves to be true, Feldman said that a return to this franchise would be his ideal legacy sequel:
"I think if we do any reboots, the reboot should be the Tommy vs. Jason reboot. Interestingly enough, some guy came up to me at a party, this is true, two weeks ago, and said he has resolved the rights issues. He's a lawyer, and he has resolved the rights issues around Friday the 13th, and that things are working out, and now they'll be able to start making Friday the 13th movies again."
Before fans get too excited, none of this is official and the actor also said that he couldn't reveal the lawyer that told him the information. Feldman states that he had previously worked with The Final Chapter screenwriter Barney Cohen to compose a treatment for Tommy vs. Jason with Feldman returning as Tommy Jarvis. Things got so far along at one point, according to Feldman, that he even met with Platinum Dunes about making the movie before the studio passed on the idea to ultimately make the 2009 reboot. Feldman admits that he felt "screwed" by the final decision:
"Let's just hope they don't make it like they did the last one, because that was terrible. Where they messed up is they had been meeting with me about doing Tommy vs. Jason, like H20 style. That was the plan… They didn't go that route and they went and did this awful atrocity of a reboot instead and look what you got… Not to talk badly about Platinum Dunes, but I had met with them prior to making that movie and they had promised me that they were going to use me and bring Tommy Jarvis back in the version that they had originally planned to make, and then that all got scratched for that ridiculous whatever-it-was."
While Feldman played Tommy Jarvis as a kid in The Final Chapter, an older version of the character would appear in the next two sequels with John Shepherd and Thom Mathews playing him, respectively. Feldman did return at the beginning of the fifth film during a dream sequence before the timeline jumps to an older Tommy but the actor couldn't portray him in a full capacity because of his commitments to The Goonies at the time. Needless to say, the Tommy timeline would need some major re-workings to allow Feldman to return but the actor cites Jamie Lee Curtis returning to the Halloween franchise in various capacities and timeliness as to how it's very possible for him to play Tommy again:
"If they were doing things the right way and they were listening to what the fans really want, and they had their ear to the ground and the pulse of what's going on in pop culture society, what they should do is revamp the idea of bringing tommy back [40] years later to go up against his nemesis the same way they did with Jamie Lee Curtis and the Halloween reboot. Now, of course they've taken that idea and redone that five different ways… Well, all we're asking for is one, one Tommy vs. Jason sequel. That's all we're asking for."
I know there are some fans out there that would love to see this, even if it is a bit of wishful thinking. We first need an official word that this Friday the 13th legal battle is really nearing its end before we get too excited about any potential sequels or reboots. A return to Camp Crystal Lake would be a treat for Friday the 13th fans so hopefully, this can all happen soon.
Would YOU want to see a Tommy vs. Jason Friday the 13th film?