Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company, announced today the acquisition of worldwide rights to JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN, from Orwo Worldwide Distribution.
The fourth installation of the series features a reimagined vision of the franchise from director Timo Vuorensola (IRON SKY 1 & 2), and is part of planned new trilogy. The film is written by Sean Michael Argo (Iconoclast, Cleric), and produced by Jake Seal (Quantum of Solace, Blaze) of Orwo Studios & Black Hangar Studios and Michael Ohoven (The Devil’s Rejects, Bug, Capote) of Infinity Films. Seth Needle, Screen Media’s SVP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions, is executive producing on behalf of the company.
Screen Media previously released JEEPERS CREEPERS 3, which did more than $2.3 million at the box office before becoming a major hit on VOD and DVD, according to the company.
The synopsis for JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN is as follows:
When the Horror Hound festival holds its first ever event in Louisiana, it attracts hundreds of geeks, freaks and die-hard horror fans from far and wide, to howl and celebrate into the night. Among them is love-able fanboy Chase and his devoted sweetheart Laine, who is forced to come along for the ride. But as the event approaches, Laine begins to experience unexplained premonitions and disturbing visions associated with the town’s past, and in particular, local legend/urban myth The Creeper. As the festival arrives and the blood-soaked entertainment builds to a frenzy, Laine believes that something unearthly has been summoned…and that she is at the center of it.
“With Jeepers Creepers: Reborn we are going back to the basics of what made this horror franchise so indelible: young people, away from home, who find themselves unwittingly stumbling into the hunting grounds of a terrifying creature,” said Seal.
Personally, I have a complicated relationship with this franchise because of its origins. Like most early fans, I had no idea about Salvo or any of his crimes when I first watched the first two films. The Creeper is such a great horror villain and I genuinely dig him, but then I found out about Salvo. I am one of those people that felt uncomfortable viewing his films and I’m not going to debate my feelings with you. You can have whatever opinion you have and I’ll have mine. Flash forward, when the third installment came out I was hopeful, until I found out they didn’t replace Salvo. As, much as I am a fan of Stan Shaw and Meg Foster, who both starred in the third film, it was a still a no for me.
Luckily, it seems that JEEPERS CREEPERS 3 brought enough eyeballs to them film via home viewing. It appears people felt better viewing it in the privacy of their homes, instead been judged for outwardly supporting the film, ie Salvo in theater settings. I’m sure there are think-pieces you can find about that somewhere, but I’m still all about keeping shit light around here so feel free to go Google those at your leisure. Nonetheless, the producers realized they there are fans of The Creeper (not the actual Creeper creator Salvo) that want to watch the franchise free of him. So, they kicked homeboy to the curb finally. Hooray.
JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN, was shot at Orwo Studios & Black Hangar Studios and on location in Jackson, Louisiana, in December and January. It is currently in post-production. Screen Media plans to release the film in North America in the Fall of 2021.
Watch this space for the upcoming trailer and release date.