I guess New Line and Platinum Dunes might be serious about getting a new entry in the indestructible Friday the 13th franchise into theaters this Halloween after all. They’ve already found someone to sit in the director’s chair and orchestrate the carnage, and it’s someone experienced with the mangled meat of men.

The studio has grabbed Jonathan Liebesman to get sadistic slasher Jason Voorhees back on the trail of unsuspecting horny teens. Liebesman (who got off to a shaky genre start with Darkness Falls) just helmed Platinum Dunes’ Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel, and he must’ve done fine work on the origins of Leatherface (read: it was under budget and on time) for them to hand over another of cinema’s classic killers.

The new Jason origin story (now, it ain’t quite a sequel, and it ain’t quite a remake) comes from the mind of writer Mark Wheaton (formerly known around these parts as Smilin’ Jack Ruby), and will concatenate elements of the first four Fridays while adding lots of new slaughter. Ironically, Liebesman’s Chainsaw prequel is also due in October, so either Leatherface will probably shift his attack schedule or Jason will have to wait until 2007.