When it was recently announced that the original filmmakers and stars of The Blair Witch Project had been invited to join the filmmaking team for the upcoming Blumhouse reboot movie, one name was notably missing from the lineup: Heather Donahue (aka Rei Hance), who of course played Heather in the original found footage horror classic back in 1999.

While Original Blair Witch Project filmmakers Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick, producer Gregg Hale, and stars Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams will executive produce the upcoming movie, Heather Donahue has made the decision to NOT be involved with the project.

Donahue explains in a Facebook comment this week, “There seems to be some willful confusion about my involvement with the reboot. I want to clarify that I am not participating.”

“I was offered an agreement that, for me personally, raised difficult long-term questions about rights, future technological use of identity and voice, the ability to speak freely, and compensation. Ultimately, it just wasn’t something I felt comfortable signing,” Donahue explains. “I genuinely wish everyone involved well.”

Donahue adds, “But preserving my autonomy mattered more to me.”

Thanks to the website Sequel Buzz for bringing this news to our attention.

Dylan Clark (Portrait of God) is set to direct the new take on the seminal found footage horror movie, and producer Jason Blum recently teased that it’s expected sometime in 2027.

Blumhouse’s Jason Blum and Atomic Monster‘s James Wan are producing the new Blair Witch Project with Roy Lee and Divide/Conquer’s Adam Hendricks & Greg Gilreath.

According to Deadline, Blair Witch‘s return “will deal with a family that goes on a camping trip but goes missing one by one after they hear strange noises in the forest.”

Much like David F. Sandberg, Curry Barker, and Kane Parsons before him, Dylan Clark was discovered on YouTube after going viral with his horror short Portrait of God. That short is already being expanded into a feature, with Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi producing.