Now that he’s killed Bill, Quentin Tarantino may be ready to tackle Jason.
The maverick Oscar-winning writer-director is meeting with New Line Cinema executives to discuss resurrecting hockey-masked slayer Jason Vorhees for a new installment in the studio’s highly profitable Friday the 13th franchise that would resurrect hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees.
A source close to the talks told E! Online that Tarantino first mentioned the idea of reinventing the big-screen slasher to Cabin Fever director Eli Roth, saying he had always dreamed of doing a Jason movie and already had a story and opening montage worked out in his head.
But the studio didn’t seriously consider approaching the Pulp Fiction filmmaker until its plans fell through to make a follow-up to its 2003 hit Freddy vs. Jason.
That campy flick saw Jason go weapon-to-weapon against New Line’s other horror icon, dream-weaving slayer Freddy Kruger of A Nightmare on Elm Street series fame and was the last celluloid foray for the Friday the 13th baddie.
New Line had originally set out to persuade director Sam Raimi to license his Evil Dead hero, Ash, for a sequel aptly titled Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, but those dreams were dashed when the deal fell apart. Raimi has plans for his own Dead remake.
Tarantino would be tasked with reviving the moribund Friday franchise, which had long ago stumbled into self-parody as Mr. Voorhees bid adieu to the cozy confines at Camp Crystal Lake and set out for the big city (Jason Takes Manhattan), paid a visit to the underworld (Jason Goes to Hell) and even managed a trip into space (Jason X).
Not unlike Jason, the cinematically sadistic Tarantino is known for dreaming up creative ways to dispatch characters, from the ear-offing scene in Reservoir Dogs to the brain-splattering in Pulp Fiction to the blood orgies of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. New Line is undoubtedly hoping the Pulpmeister would help Jason recapture his scariness and make a killing at the box office.
And don’t think directing a Friday the 13th would be beneath the Tarantino: He’s an avowed fan of low-brow fare.
The director, who helmed the 1995 blood-soaked “Mother” episode of ER, signed on two weeks ago to write and direct the season finale of CBS’ hit series CSI. He’s also aiming to shoot another kung fu saga–this one entirely in Mandarin–that will hit theaters in 2006.
Before getting the Friday feeler, Tarantino had volunteered to direct an installment of the James Bond franchise. Although the notion was seconded by erstwhile 007 Pierce Brosnan, Tarantino’s offer was turned down by the Bond producers who have tapped GoldenEye helmer Martin Campbell to direct the upcoming Casino Royale.
If all goes according to Hoyle, a Tarantino Friday the 13th movie would be the first flick he would make outside of Miramax. However, reps for both New Line and the director are cautioning fans not to get their hopes up just yet.
“It’s premature at this point,” says a studio spokeswoman. “It’s just a meeting.”
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