Jason Voorhees, the masked killer who became one of horror cinema’s most recognisable figures, is preparing to return to the big screen. A new Friday the 13th feature film is planned for a worldwide theatrical release in 2027, marking the 13th instalment in the long-running franchise and its first theatrical outing since the 2009 reboot. The project will be directed by Steve Miner, who previously helmed Friday the 13th Part II and Friday the 13th Part III, the latter introducing Jason’s now-iconic white hockey mask.
The project was announced on Friday, November 13, a date that carries an obvious connection to the franchise. While plot and casting details remain under wraps, the announcement confirms that the series is moving towards another theatrical chapter after years of uncertainty surrounding its future.
Jason Voorhees is closely associated with the hockey mask, a simple visual element that helped establish his identity in popular culture. The Friday the 13th franchise began in 1980 with a story set around Camp Crystal Lake, where a series of murders turns a summer camp into a place of terror. Jason became the central killer in the subsequent films, developing into the defining figure of the series. His appearance, particularly the hockey mask, became one of the most recognisable images in horror cinema.
Miner played a significant role in shaping that screen identity. He directed Friday the 13th Part II in 1981, which placed Jason in the role of the killer, before returning for Friday the 13th Part III in 1982. The third film introduced the hockey mask that would become inseparable from the character. What began as a creative choice for the film went on to define Jason’s appearance across the franchise and become an enduring symbol of slasher horror.
Miner’s return therefore brings a direct connection to the series’ earlier theatrical history. Rather than handing the character to a filmmaker with no previous involvement in the franchise, the production has brought back the director responsible for one of the most important visual decisions in Jason’s cinematic evolution. His involvement also links the upcoming film to the period when the series was establishing the conventions and imagery that would shape its identity for generations of viewers.
The new project comes after a lengthy absence from cinemas. The 2009 reboot was the last Friday the 13th film to receive a theatrical release. Since then, the development of another feature has been held back by complicated legal disputes over the franchise’s rights. Those disagreements left the future of the film series uncertain and kept Jason away from the theatrical big screen for years. If the planned 2027 release proceeds, it will mark the character’s first cinema appearance in 18 years.
The production is taking an independent route, with the Barsamian family financing and producing the film through Horror, Inc., the company behind the franchise. CatchLight Studios is attached as the production partner, while Cineverse has secured North American distribution rights, including theatrical release. The arrangement places the franchise’s rights holders directly behind the project rather than putting the production under the control of a major studio.
David Fliegel has written the screenplay. The creative team has also indicated that the film will draw on practical effects, suspense and hard-hitting kills, elements closely associated with the franchise’s earlier horror films. The stated approach places an emphasis on physical effects and carefully staged sequences rather than relying heavily on computer-generated imagery. However, the production has not yet revealed how the story will develop or what form Jason’s next appearance will take.
Details about the characters, setting and cast have also not been announced. It remains unclear who will portray Jason Voorhees or whether the film will return directly to Camp Crystal Lake. For now, the confirmed information is centred on the creative team, production arrangement and intended theatrical release.
The project is also being positioned as part of a larger plan for the franchise. Horror, Inc. sees the 2027 feature as a launchpad for a connected era of big-screen stories within the expanding Jason Universe. This suggests that the film is being developed not simply as a standalone return for a familiar horror character, but as a starting point for future theatrical stories featuring Jason and the world associated with him.
The announcement establishes several important details about the next chapter: it will be the 13th film in the franchise, an independent production backed by its rights holders, and a planned worldwide theatrical release in 2027. Steve Miner’s return adds another layer of continuity, bringing back the filmmaker who helped establish Jason’s most recognisable look.
There is still considerable information to be revealed before the film reaches cinemas, particularly regarding its cast, story and production schedule. Nevertheless, after an 18-year absence from theatrical releases, Jason Voorhees is set to return to the big screen. This time, the filmmaker who helped give him his defining hockey-mask appearance will be back behind the camera.
