Next `Friday The 13th` In The Works

There`s a catch, though.

The villain who has defied death more often than Evel Knievel is making another appearance on the big screen. Sources say that New Line and Platinum Dunes are moving forward on a new "Friday the 13th" and that Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, who wrote the recently released reboot, are beginning work on a script for a new picture.

There's a catch, though.

Unlike the sophomore efforts of other film franchises, the new "Friday" is expected to be not a sequel so much as a follow-up, those familiar with the project say. Jason Voorhees would still be the villain, but the new picture is expected to use elements of the original franchise more as a jumping-off point than as a template. The recently released "Friday" relaunch drew from the first four pictures in the series, and producers are said not to be keen on the plot elements of the half-dozen movies that followed.

Insiders caution that there is no green light and that Platinum Dunes and New Line are working together on another franchise reboot, "A Nightmare on Elm Street," which is set to start shooting in two months.

Still, the "Friday" property is a desirable one, and in a best-case scenario the next film could be ready as early as the second half of 2010.

The first reboot, which brought a group of attractive young victims nack to get slashed at Camp Crystal Lake, has been one of the surprise hits of the winter, earning $70 million worldwide since opening in mid-February.