Freddy vs Jason vs Ash: The Film Version That Should Have Been
Not too long after Freddy vs Jason opened to big numbers in theaters in August 2003, talks of a sequel or another pairing for a versus film involving Jason and Freddy floated around Hollywood and the World Wide Web. The most popular and most demanded pairing would bring Ash Williams from the Evil Dead films into a story to battle Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger.
It looked like a very strong possibility that fans would see this trio appear on the big screen in the very near future. It seemed that all that stood between the fans seeing this ultimate iconic face-off was Evil Dead creator and Director Sam Raimi signing off on the use of this beloved character, Ash. Of course, he never did approve Ash for the film and followers of three of the most recognized characters in horror were left with an empty feeling inside.
Eventually, the three horror icons did fight it out in the comic realm with two series of stories released by the now defunct Wildstorm Comics, a division of DC Comics. Jeff Katz, the would-be Producer of Freddy vs Jason vs Ash for New Line Cinema, was able to use his script from a film and translate it into comic book form as a small victory to showcase his efforts for a new franchise. What is interesting about Mr. Katz's story for Freddy, Jason and Ash, is that his idea for a triple threat of horror goodness was not the first. In fact, his was quite frankly, not even the best!
Gene Mazza, who was a long time member of the old Friday the 13th Forum, worked together with fellow forum member and uber Friday the 13th fan Dave Dunwoody on their treatment of a Freddy vs Jason vs Ash film. In fact, according to Gene, they even had their treatment registered with the Writer's Guild to make everything legitimate. This original story was focused in Crystal Lake, which, for Friday the 13th fans is sure to be welcome news. Their package was sent to New Line to have their idea pitched as a possible film. However, things took a turn for the worse, and the vision that Gene and Dave had for a triple dose of battling icons was lost.
It seems as though their outline of a story never made it to the powers-that-be for any sort of approval, which Gene explains in an excellent post in our Forum:
(Jeff) Katz on the other hand... his attitude towards us basically went from interested & supportive to oddly detached & significantly less jovial. Thanked us for our time, but didn't really give us any clear indication as to whether or not he liked it. He was very friendly in the beginning and spoke to us as peers, equals, but after we turned our presentation in, he started acting like, well, a producer
He (Michael Hein) also told me that Sam Raimi was heading over there for a meeting with Jeff, who had changed his mind without informing me or Dave and decided to write his own treatment, and pitch THAT ONE to Raimi at their meeting (his also features a couple scenes which are EERILY ironic, in that they are literally almost IDENTICAL to some of the scenes we wrote). And you all know how that turned out. But I don't think there are many who know a lot of the specifics. Basically, Raimi thought the treatment was awful and didn't want his greatest, most beloved & highly respected creation involved in that abortion.
Outside if these remarks, Gene was also nice enough to post the outline for his and Dave's proposed film. Below is an excerpt from that outline:
Jason is dropped to the floor. He and Ash stagger to their feet.
Jason begins to bring down the boiler room – unfortunately, Ash
is in the way and they spar in the midst of buckling pipeworks
and falling platforms. Jason sends Ash hurtling through yet
another wall as Freddy's realm in finally undone. The hero lands
in Jason's dream-forest. Jason moves in for the kill, but he's
caught in a seething mass of branches; a grinning "Freddy-tree"
has captured him, and is now devouring him! Ash buries his saw
in the tree, freeing Jason in great gouts of green blood.
Krueger's taunting laughter lures them both to a monolithic
Gothic cathedral in the middle of the forest. This is the chapel
of NIGHTMARES past – the site of the last battle.
For those visitors who enjoyed the concept of Freddy vs Jason and were upset that Ash was not added into the fold for a feature length film, please Read The Entire Thread created by Gene in our Forum. Not only is there more to his claims, but the entire outline of what really should have been the Freddy vs Jason vs Ash film is located for all to read!
Read The Original Outline For Freddy vs Jason vs Ash
Download The Outline
It looked like a very strong possibility that fans would see this trio appear on the big screen in the very near future. It seemed that all that stood between the fans seeing this ultimate iconic face-off was Evil Dead creator and Director Sam Raimi signing off on the use of this beloved character, Ash. Of course, he never did approve Ash for the film and followers of three of the most recognized characters in horror were left with an empty feeling inside.
Eventually, the three horror icons did fight it out in the comic realm with two series of stories released by the now defunct Wildstorm Comics, a division of DC Comics. Jeff Katz, the would-be Producer of Freddy vs Jason vs Ash for New Line Cinema, was able to use his script from a film and translate it into comic book form as a small victory to showcase his efforts for a new franchise. What is interesting about Mr. Katz's story for Freddy, Jason and Ash, is that his idea for a triple threat of horror goodness was not the first. In fact, his was quite frankly, not even the best!
It seems as though their outline of a story never made it to the powers-that-be for any sort of approval, which Gene explains in an excellent post in our Forum:
(Jeff) Katz on the other hand... his attitude towards us basically went from interested & supportive to oddly detached & significantly less jovial. Thanked us for our time, but didn't really give us any clear indication as to whether or not he liked it. He was very friendly in the beginning and spoke to us as peers, equals, but after we turned our presentation in, he started acting like, well, a producer
He (Michael Hein) also told me that Sam Raimi was heading over there for a meeting with Jeff, who had changed his mind without informing me or Dave and decided to write his own treatment, and pitch THAT ONE to Raimi at their meeting (his also features a couple scenes which are EERILY ironic, in that they are literally almost IDENTICAL to some of the scenes we wrote). And you all know how that turned out. But I don't think there are many who know a lot of the specifics. Basically, Raimi thought the treatment was awful and didn't want his greatest, most beloved & highly respected creation involved in that abortion.
Outside if these remarks, Gene was also nice enough to post the outline for his and Dave's proposed film. Below is an excerpt from that outline:
Jason is dropped to the floor. He and Ash stagger to their feet.
Jason begins to bring down the boiler room – unfortunately, Ash
is in the way and they spar in the midst of buckling pipeworks
and falling platforms. Jason sends Ash hurtling through yet
another wall as Freddy's realm in finally undone. The hero lands
in Jason's dream-forest. Jason moves in for the kill, but he's
caught in a seething mass of branches; a grinning "Freddy-tree"
has captured him, and is now devouring him! Ash buries his saw
in the tree, freeing Jason in great gouts of green blood.
Krueger's taunting laughter lures them both to a monolithic
Gothic cathedral in the middle of the forest. This is the chapel
of NIGHTMARES past – the site of the last battle.
For those visitors who enjoyed the concept of Freddy vs Jason and were upset that Ash was not added into the fold for a feature length film, please Read The Entire Thread created by Gene in our Forum. Not only is there more to his claims, but the entire outline of what really should have been the Freddy vs Jason vs Ash film is located for all to read!
Read The Original Outline For Freddy vs Jason vs Ash
Download The Outline
