Why Freddy Vs. Jason 2 Hasn’t Happened

Freddy Vs Jason 2 still hasn’t happened despite the success of the original movie – will the two titans of terror ever clash again on the big screen? Freddy Vs Jason was first pitched back in the late 1980s when Friday The 13th owners Paramount sought to create a crossover with New Line’s A Nightmare On Elm Street. Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood was supposed to feature Jason Voorhees facing off against Freddy Krueger, but neither studio could come to an agreement. The film ultimately featured Jason fighting a telekinetic teenager in an entry dubbed Jason Vs Carrie.

New Line would eventually acquire the rights to Freddy, with Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday ending with a teaser promoting the crossover. Freddy Vs Jason would soon become one of the most infamous development hell stories in Hollywood, with an endless number of writers penning scripts that were never used. The pain proved to be worth it with 2003’s Freddy Vs Jason grossing close to $120 million worldwide. The movie had plenty of issues, mainly involving a weak screenplay, but it also provided the thrill of seeing two horror icons duke it out. Talk of Freddy Vs Jason 2 started almost immediately but despite seeming like a no-brainer, it never came together.

Related: Every Friday The 13th Movie Ranked: Best & Worst Of The Franchise

Let’s explore the history of Freddy Vs Jason 2, looking at why it hasn’t happened and if a rematch is still possible.

Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash Was Briefly Considered

The original movie already offered the novelty of seeing the title characters fight, so Freddy Vs Jason 2 needed something new. The obvious route was pairing them with another icon, but options were limited and outside of Freddy and Jason, New Line only held the rights to Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Having them fight characters like Halloween’s Michael Myers was also ruled out since it would mean pitting Freddy against two silent slashers. Instead, the idea of introducing a heroic genre character in Freddy Vs Jason 2 was pitched, with Evil Dead’s Ash (Bruce Campbell) selected.

Writer Jeff Katz put together a treatment for Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash, where Ash moves to Crystal Lake in search of the Necronomicon, which last appeared in Jason Goes To Hell. Freddy manipulates Jason into helping him get the book, setting them on course for a bloody showdown with Ash and his chainsaw. Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell met with New Line to discuss Freddy Vs Jason 2, but once they learned Ash wouldn’t be able to kill off either character, they lost interest. The idea of Freddy Vs Jason 2 quickly died following this, and with remakes being the dominant trend in the late 2000s, all 3 franchises were subsequently rebooted in the years ahead.

Related: Friday The 13th Really Shouldn’t Be This Hard To Reboot

Will Freddy Vs Jason 2 Ever Happen?

Despite enduring fan interest, Freddy Vs Jason 2 is unlikely to come together now. Original Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund has retired from the role, and despite returning for a brief cameo in sitcom The Goldbergs, the physical requirements of another action movie like Freddy Vs Jason 2 would likely be off-putting to the veteran star. The rights to the Friday The 13th franchise are currently in flux due to a lawsuit, but when that case is settled, a reboot of the character is the most likely outcome.

Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash definitely won’t happen, with Bruce Campbell retiring from the franchise following Ash Vs Evil Dead season 3. Campbell has also spoken out against the idea in recent years, finding the concept creatively bankrupt. With renewed interest in horror icons following the success of Halloween (2018) and IT, there’s a slim chance Freddy Vs Jason 2 could still happen. Englund stated he might be open to one final Nightmare movie, and a sequel reteaming the two killers would get fans excited. That said, it feels like Freddy Vs Jason 2 missed it moment a long time again.

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About The Author

Padraig Cotter
(3484 Articles Published)

It’s pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Now that’s out of the way, a brief introduction. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he’d like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site.

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A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games – he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU – where Hawkeye is clearly the best character – to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle.

He’s super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. He can be found as i_Padds on Twitter making bad puns.

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