In 1999, Heather Donahue, an Upper Darby High School graduate, was working a temp job driving a broken down 1984 Toyota Celica.
This despite the fact that she had starred in “The Blair Witch Project,” a debut $35,000 film that’s been described as one of the most profitable independent films ever made, writes Adam B. Vary for Y! Entertainment.
Co-stars Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard were equally struggling.
The actors knew they were in trouble when “The Blair Witch Project” broke $100 million at the domestic box office and they were each sent a fruit basket.
“That was when it became clear that, wow, we were not going to get anything,” Heather Donahue said. “We were being cut out of something that we were intimately involved with creating.”
The film earned $248 million worldwide, and investors made an estimated $35 million to $40 million.
The performers did get a $300,000 settlement paid over several years when “Blair Witch 2” was released in 2000.
Now Lionsgate revealed it was rebooting “The Blair Witch Project,” again without consulting the performers.
They’ve responded with an open letter asking for “meaningful consultation” on any future “Blair Witch”-related project.
Read more about the lives of these actors after “Blair Witch Project” in Y! Entertainment.
