Key Insights
- Production Team: Kenan Thompson and Johnny Ryan Jr. are producing the Sleepaway Camp remake.
- Original Involvement: Robert Hiltzik, the original writer/director, is returning for this project.
- Franchise History: The original Sleepaway Camp was released in 1983 and has several sequels.
- Fan Anticipation: There is significant excitement among fans for the new film’s direction and vision.
We’ve been hearing rumblings of a remake of the classic 1983 slasher Sleepaway Camp (watch it HERE) for a long time, going back to at least 2013, when it was revealed that the remake rights were in the hands of former New Line executive Jeff Katz. Now, Deadline reports that those rights have been passed over to a different producer: Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson will be producing the new film alongside Johnny Ryan Jr. through their company AFA. They didn’t have to look far to find a writer or director for this movie, as AFA has turned to the man who started it all: original Sleepaway Camp writer/director Robert Hiltzik. Deadline notes that Hiltzik and his wife have been getting approached about the rights to the franchise for decades, but “they’ve held out in hopes of a scenario where they can be involved in revitalizing the franchise. To Thompson and Ryan Jr., whose AFA places an emphasis on keeping creative control and ownership with the artist, keeping the original architects of the franchise at the forefront of its evolution is a given.”
Details on the approach to the Sleepaway Camp remake have not been revealed. The original film has the following synopsis: After a terrible boating accident killed her family, shy Angela Baker went to live with her eccentric Aunt Martha and her cousin Ricky. This summer, Martha decides to send them both to Camp Arawak, a place to enjoy the great outdoors. Shortly after their arrival, a series of bizarre and violent “accidents” begin to claim the lives of various campers. Has a dark secret returned from the camp’s past… or will an unspeakable horror end the summer season for all? It stars Felissa Rose, Mike Kellin, Jonathan Tiersten, Christopher Collet, Paul DeAngelo, Katherine Kamhi, Karen Fields, Desiree Gould, and Robert Earl Jones.
Sleepaway Camp was followed by two sequels directed by Michael A. Simpson, Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989), then Hiltzik returned to the franchise for 2008’s Return to Sleepaway Camp. A sequel called Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor started filming in 1992 with Jim Markovic at the helm, but the production company went bankrupt and only 34 minutes of the movie were completed.
Hiltzik told Deadline, “I am both thrilled and humbled to be working with AFA on the reimagined Sleepaway Camp. Though I have been approached by several companies regarding the remake of Sleepaway Camp, only AFA has shared my vision and is excited to have me helm the film, therefore preserving the integrity of the original film for the fans, as well as introducing Sleepaway Camp to a whole new generation. Be prepared for a new member of the Sleepaway Camp family.” Thompson added, “Excited to work with the original genius Robert and bring back to life a camp classic!!!” And Ryan Jr. said, “This is only the beginning. Kenan and I always say we’re fans first and this couldn’t be more on brand for us. I’ve been obsessed with the Sleepaway Camp franchise since I was a kid. We’ve wanted this title for 20 years and we’re over the moon Robert came back to write it. We’re staying true to the OG story while Robert adding in some insane new twists; we’re going crazy with the merch too!
Robinson Velasco, Monica Weber, Cory Litwin, and Boris Shvartz serve as executive producers on the Sleepaway Camp remake. Development on the script is underway now.
What do you think of Kenan Thompson’s production company teaming with Robert Hiltzik for a Sleepaway Camp remake? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
