The Blair Witch Project is getting another reboot, but one person definitely won’t be showing up in the woods again: The original star, Heather Donahue. Via Lionsgate Now going by the name of Rei Hance, the actor who became the haunted face of the 1999 found-footage phenomenon has made it very clear she’s not involved in the new version being developed by Lionsgate and Blumhouse Productions. “There seems to be some willful confusion about my involvement with the reboot,” she wrote in a Facebook comment, responding to a recent interview with producer James Wan. “I want to clarify that I am not participating.” Via Facebook For anyone who somehow missed the cultural moment that was The Blair Witch Project, it basically helped define the entire found-footage horror genre. Donahue played one of the doomed student filmmakers at the centre of the story, which famously blurred fiction and reality so convincingly that audiences genuinely thought it might be real. After the film’s explosive success, Donahue continued acting for several years, including roles in the sci-fi miniseries Taken (2002) and various indie projects. However, the intensity of sudden fame and the way she was typecast off the back of the film made things increasingly difficult. Via Facebook She later left acting behind in 2008, pivoting away from Hollywood entirely and moving into cannabis cultivation. In 2020, she legally changed her name to Rei Hance and later wrote a memoir, Growgirl, reflecting on that chapter of her life and her time in the medical marijuana industry. The production of The Blair Witch Project itself has long been talked about for its extreme approach. The cast were reportedly pushed through physically draining conditions in the Maryland woods, with limited food and sleep used to heighten realism on camera. Afterwards, things didn’t exactly get easier. The actors were contractually encouraged to maintain the illusion that they were “missing” to keep the marketing mystery alive, which made transitioning into normal careers even harder. There was also legal fallout. In 2000, Donahue and her co-stars took action against Artisan Entertainment after their real names were used in Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 without permission. They ultimately won a settlement. Via Lionsgate Speaking about her decision to leave acting, Hance has previously reflected on the industry in a Q&A on her website: “The acting projects I was lucky enough to work on weren’t always things that I felt good about putting out into the world. I didn’t see that getting better as I got older. I wanted to change my life, see what else was out there for me, what else I might become.” The reboot itself is being developed with YouTuber Dylan Clark directing and writer Chris Thomas Devlin attached to the script. It’s currently slated for a 2027 release, though plot details are being kept tightly under wraps. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Lionsgate/Wordpress Post navigation Next story
