‘Friday the 13th’ Reboot Loses Director David Bruckner (Exclusive)

In the wake of numerous delays, David Bruckner is no longer attached to direct the next “Friday the 13th” movie for Paramount and Platinum Dunes, TheWrap has learned.

Aaron Guzikowski is nearing a deal to write the script and producers felt it wasn’t fair to ask Bruckner to wait around while they develop another draft. While they’d love to have Bruckner direct the next installment in the horror franchise and plan to go back to him when they have a new script, he is not officially involved with the project at this time.

Michael Bay will produce the next “Friday the 13th” along with his Platinum Dunes partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller.

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Iconic boogeyman Jason Voorhees will return to kill some attractive young people, though additional plot details remain at the bottom of Crystal Lake. However, the project will not feature found-footage, according to insiders.

Paramount is slated to release the next “Friday the 13th” movie on Jan. 13, 2017. The most recent film in the slasher series was released in 2009 by New Line, whose parent company Warner Bros. gave Paramount the rights to the franchise in exchange for a piece of Christopher Nolan‘s “Interstellar.”

Platinum Dunes successfully rebooted “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise, and it also produced a remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

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Bruckner previously directed segments of “The Signal,” “V/H/S” and “Southbound.” He’s represented by WME and Gotham Group.

Guzikowski is best known for writing “Prisoners,” and his hiring was was first reported by Variety. He’s repped by Verve and Madhouse Entertainment.