In October 2018, LeBron James and his production company Springhill Entertainment (alongside Vertigo Entertainment) were in talks to co-produce the next film. A month later, screenwriter Clint Ford started writing a prequel screenplay for the franchise titled "Friday the 13th: The Beginning". In July 2019, Tom McLoughlin, writer and director of "", revealed that he authored a speculative script for a sequel film titled "Jason Never Dies". McLoughlin confirmed the film would have served as a direct sequel to "Jason Lives", ignoring the other films in the franchise.