Joshua Leonard accused Lionsgate of using the original cast’s image for profit. He also said they have been disrespecting them for 25 years. He shared press releases of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ reboot on Instagram and wrote:
“So, this is my face on a press release for a film being made by two major studios—both I’ve worked for, both I respect. The weird part is that I didn’t know anything about it until a friend sent me a ‘congrats’ screenshot yesterday.”
The actor explained:
“My frustration is compounded because I’ve been trying to get Lionsgate to engage for over a month about a ‘BWP’ charity screening I’m putting together for O Positive Fest to raise money for artists without healthcare, and no one will get back to me.”
Things Were Dirty In The Background
Leonard also looked back at his time in the 1999 film and shared some behind-the-scenes details.
The actors used their real names in ‘The Blair Witch Project,’ and Lionsgate allegedly claimed copyrights over them. This forced the actors to start legal action to get their names back.
A Hollywood insider told the press at the time that the cast made $4 million from their shares in the movie, but Leonard revealed they only made $300,000.
The original distributor even told them they might end up owing money to the studio because the marketing costs were causing money loss although they publicly shared that ‘The Blair Witch Project’ was ‘the most profitable independent film ever.’
The Actor Wants The Disrespect To End
Joshua Leonard noted that the horror film’s success was not just due to marketing and timing. It was also because the cast worked well even with ‘virtually no resources.’ He continued:
“Can we just go on record and say that the film itself is a huge part of why we’re still talking about it 25 years later?”
The actor called out Lionsgate, adding:
“I’m so proud of our little punk-rock movie, and I love the fans who keep the flames burning. But at this point, it’s 25 years of disrespect from the folks who’ve pocketed the lion’s share (pun intended) of the profits from our work, and that feels both icky and classless.”
You can see the full statement here.
