Urban Legend (film series)
Slasher media franchise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Urban Legend is an American slasher media franchise owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and consisting of three slasher films. The first installment was written by Silvio Horta, directed by Jamie Blanks, and released in 1998.
| Urban Legend | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Silvio Horta |
| Original work | Urban Legend (1998) |
| Owner | |
| Years | 1998–present |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | Urban Legend (1998) Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) |
| Direct-to-video | Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005) |
Films
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Legend | September 25, 1998 | Jamie Blanks | Silvio Horta | Gina Matthews, Neal H. Moritz & Michael McDonnell |
| Urban Legends: Final Cut | September 22, 2000 | John Ottman | Scott Derrickson & Paul Harris Boardman | Gina Matthews, Neal H. Moritz & Richard Luke Rothschild |
| Urban Legends: Bloody Mary | July 19, 2005 | Mary Lambert | Dan Harris & Michael Dougherty | Scott Messer, Aaron Merrell & Louis Phillips |
Urban Legend (1998)
A college student suspects a series of bizarre deaths are connected to certain urban legends.
Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
A film school is the center of a fresh spate of killings based on urban legends.
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005)
On a prom-night dare, a trio of high school friends chant an incantation, unleashing an evil spirit from the past with deadly consequences.
Future
In February 2020, a reboot of the film was announced to be in development, to be written and directed by Colin Minihan.[1] In August, Sydney Chandler, Katherine McNamara and Keith Powers were cast in the film.[2] In October 2022, Minihan revealed that the film had been cancelled due to "bad timing".[3] In the following months, Eli Roth confirmed that it was due to the studio losing interest,[4] and McNamara reported that it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
In April 2025, it was announced that a new reboot was in development by Screen Gems, with Shanrah Wakefield writing the script. Gary Dauberman and Neal H. Moritz are set to produce, with the story aiming to be "an examination of what an urban legend looks like in a post-digital world."[6]
Related film
Ghosts of Goldfield was originally intended to be the fourth entry in the franchise, but the title was dropped due to licensing issues.[7]
Cast and crew
Key
- A V indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
- A U indicates an uncredited appearance.
- A Y indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
- A C indicates a cameo appearance.
- A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
Principal cast
| Characters | Films | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Legend | Urban Legends: Final Cut |
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary | |
| 1998 | 2000 | 2005 | |
| Officer Reese Wilson | Loretta Devine | ||
| Brenda Bates | Rebecca Gayheart | Rebecca GayheartUC | Mentioned |
| Paul Gardner | Jared Leto | ||
| Natalie "Nash" Simon | Alicia Witt | ||
| Sasha Thomas | Tara Reid | ||
| Parker Riley | Michael Rosenbaum | ||
| Damon Brooks | Joshua Jackson | ||
| Dean Adams | John Neville | ||
| Professor William Wexler | Robert Englund | ||
| Amy Mayfield | Jennifer Morrison | ||
| Travis Stark Trevor Stark |
Matthew Davis | ||
| Graham Manning | Joseph Lawrence | ||
| Vanessa Valdeon | Eva Mendes | ||
| Sandra Petruzzi | Jessica Cauffiel | ||
| Toby Belcher | Anson Mount | ||
| Stan Washington | Anthony Anderson | ||
| Professor Solomon | Hart Bochner | Mentioned | |
| Samantha "Sam" Owens | Kate Mara | ||
| David Owens | Robert Vito | ||
| Grace Taylor | Tina Lifford Charlene BaptistaY | ||
| Bill "Willy" Owens | Ed Marinaro Daniel B. CulmerY | ||
| Mary Banner | Lillith Fields | ||
| Buck Jacoby | Michael Gregory Coe | ||
| Pamela "Pam" Owens | Nancy Everhard | ||
Additional crew
| Crew/Detail | Film | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Legend | Urban Legends: Final Cut |
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary | |
| 1998 | 2000 | 2005 | |
| Composer(s) | Christopher Young | John Ottman | Jeff Rona |
| Cinematographer | James Chressanthis | Brian Pearson | Ian Fox |
| Editor | Jay Cassidy | Rob Kobrin John Ottman |
Michelle Harrison |
| Production companies | Original Film Phoenix Pictures TriStar Pictures (US) Columbia Pictures (UK) |
Original Film Phoenix Pictures Columbia Pictures |
NPP Productions |
| Distributing company | Sony Pictures Releasing | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| Running time | 100 minutes | 98 minutes | 93 minutes |
Reception
Box office performance
| Film | U.S. release date | Box office gross | Budget | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | ||||
| Urban Legend | September 25, 1998 | $38,072,438 | $34,455,157 | $72,527,595 | $14 million | [8] |
| Urban Legends: Final Cut | September 22, 2000 | $21,468,807 | $17,105,555 | $38,574,362 | $14 million | [9] |
| Total | $59,541,245 | $51,560,712 | $111,101,957 | $28,000,000 | ||
Critical and public response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Legend | 30% (66 reviews)[11] | 35 (15 reviews)[12] | C |
| Urban Legends: Final Cut | 12% (86 reviews)[13] | 16 (25 reviews)[14] | D+ |
| Urban Legends: Bloody Mary | 40% (5 reviews)[15] |
Music
| Title | U.S. release date | Length | Performed by | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Legend: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack | September 29, 1998 | 35:48 | Various Artists | Milan |
| Urban Legends: Final Cut (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | September 12, 2000 | 01:13:12 | John Ottman | Varèse Sarabande |