How Did Christopher Nolan Put Possible Sequels to ‘Friday the 13th’ and ‘South Park’ Into Motion?

…But don’t count on seeing the South Park one anytime soon.  Still, is there anything Christopher Nolan can’t do at this point?

Warner Bros. was apparently so eager to get in on Nolan’s next film, Interstellar (which is currently filming) with Paramount that the studio was willing to part with its rights to other films.  As a result, Warners gave up its rights to co-produce the next Friday the 13th film and the next South Park film.  In addition, The Hollywood Reporter says Paramount will also “co-finance a to-be-determined A-list Warners property.”  However, Paramount only has the sole rights on both properties for five years.

Paramount and New Line Cinema (which is owned by Warner Bros.) co-released the last Friday the 13th movie, the 2009 reboot, and though a sequel to that has been talked about it hasn’t moved forward.  Meanwhile, while Paramount released the first South Park movie, Warner Bros. once owned Comedy Central (which still carries South Park) and was the international distribution of 1999’s South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, so that tied up those rights.

Paramount could probably churn out two or three Friday the 13th movies in the next five years if they get moving, however a South Park movie sequel is far less likely.  Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone haven’t expressed interest in making another South Park movie.  They’ve done several three-part and two-part episodes in recent years instead, including one three-parter (Imaginationland) that was originally intended to be a feature length film and later edited into a direct-to-DVD movie version.  The duo has recently founded Important Studios to explore future projects, including a film adaptation of their hugely successful Broadway musical Book of Mormon and have announced that they’ve scaled back from making fourteen South Park episodes a year to ten going forward.

Needless to say, just because Paramount now has the rights to do another South Park movie doesn’t mean Parker and Stone will necessarily agree to do it within the required five years Paramount has to release it.  And even if Paramount COULD make a South Park movie without them (they can’t), who would want to see that?