The cast members of The Blair Witch Project, Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard, have opened up about their two-decade fight for compensation and their efforts to bring about change in how young artists are treated by corporations in Hollywood. The movie, released in 1999, was made on a budget of $35,000 to $60,000 but went on to earn $248.6 million. Despite its massive success, the cast members have struggled to receive proper compensation and have faced ongoing issues with the studio's use of their names and likenesses. [a8fb772f]
Last month, Lionsgate announced plans for a new Blair Witch Project movie, which prompted the trio to issue an open letter calling for 'meaningful consultation' and retroactive and future payments. The cast members had previously sued Artisan, the studio behind the original movie, in 2002 and won a settlement of $300,000 each. However, the terms of the settlement included a requirement for the studio to stop using their names and likenesses, which they claim has not been honored. [a8fb772f]
One of the challenges the cast members face is that the original movie was a non-union production, so SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, has no jurisdiction over their dispute. Despite this, the cast members are determined to continue their fight for proper compensation and hope that their efforts will lead to a change in how young artists are treated by corporations in the industry. [a8fb772f]