‘Happy Death Day’ Star Jessica Rothe Wants to Join the ‘Friday the 13th’ Franchise

Jessica Rothe has already made her mark on the horror genre with Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U, but the actress has another iconic slasher franchise on her wishlist: Friday the 13th.

During a recent Reddit AMA, Rothe was asked which iconic slasher franchise she’d like to join. Her answer was immediate:

“Friday the 13th!”

Rothe’s interest comes as fans continue to wait for the return of Jason Voorhees to the big screen. There are currently no announced plans for a new Friday the 13th movie, although the franchise is set to return in television form with the upcoming Crystal Lake prequel series on Peacock.

If Crystal Lake performs well, a new feature film could potentially follow down the road.

Rothe broke out in horror with 2017’s Happy Death Day, playing Tree Gelbman, a college student trapped in a time loop and forced to relive the day of her murder over and over again. She returned for Happy Death Day 2U in 2019.

The actress has remained active in the genre, with three movies featured at Fantastic Fest 2026: River, Beware Boiúna, and Pathetic Fallacy.

Rothe also revealed several other filmmakers she’d love to work with, naming Sam Raimi, Zach Cregger, Curry Barker, Robert Eggers, and Chris Landon, the latter of whom she said she’d work with “a million times more.”

When asked about her own horror favorites, Rothe revealed that The Ring was the first movie to genuinely scare her, while The Thing was the film that showed her “how deep and complex and badass horror could be.”

Her upcoming projects include River, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was later acquired by Blumhouse Atomic Monster. The film currently has no announced release date.

Rothe also teased that conversations about a possible River sequel may already be happening.

“Josh is an absolute genius, and I loved working with him,” Rothe said. “It is early, but I know he has some ideas… All I’ll say is that I would return in a heartbeat.”

For now, there’s no new Friday the 13th movie on the horizon—but if Jason eventually returns, Rothe has already made it clear she’d love to be part of it.