Victor Miller, the writer of Friday the 13th has officially won the rights back to the iconic franchise he created! The battle for Friday the 13th's franchise rights were fought between Miller and the film's producer Sean S. Cunningham, who claimed Miller had been hired on a work-for-hire basis and so, was not entitled to any ownership over the franchise whatsoever.
As of this past week, the United States Court of Appeals For the Second Circuit [source] ruled that Miller was in fact Manny's employee for Copyright Act purposes which entitles him to authorship rights!
This legal battle was the only thing standing in the way of any new Friday the 13th movies being produced. Now that a decision has been made, fans can expect the franchise to rise from the dead and make its way back to the silver screen down the road.
Prior to this, Victor Miller had expressed displeasure with the direction the Jason character had been taken in the Friday the 13th sequels (which Miller did not write). Victor never viewed or intended for Jason to be a villain, but instead a victim and the killings that followed to have been a vengeful rampage by Jason's mother following his untimely death. With the rights now reverting back to Miller, it's possible we may see a fresh new take on Friday the 13th and the Jason character, as Miller originally intended.
