Jayson & Friends: The Movie (2023 animated film)

Jayson & Friends: The Movie is a in-development movie, which is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name, being worked on at Bluejay Animations. The film started development back in 2021, and has been in development since then, being changed and improved many times over. A official release date, is yet to be announced, though fans believe the film could release as early as October of 2023, and the latest being March 2024.

Backstory
The film's production started on April 20, 2021, after Bluejay Animations, wanted to do something new, to hopefully help the studio get back into relevancy, after COVID caused the studio to fall into debt. The film was in heavy development, for months, and many rumors swirled around what it would be, from a original project, to a possible Roger Rabbit continuation.

On December 1st, 2021, Jake Hensley released more information about the film, stating that because of a issue with budget & licensing, they could not get The Walt Disney Company, to back the film, and they could only gain rights to Disney properties, and would have to find a distribution company. Silence was made between late December and early January of 2022, but on February 2nd, 2022, Jake Hensley announced that it was possible, that Brock Baker could be voicing a character, but he was unsure. On February 15, he confirmed, that Baker agreed to voice Elijah's dad, and that they were in talks with voice actors, to voice other characters, like Jayson. Throughout the Spring, silence was made, and people started to believe, that once again, Project Echo was abandoned. However, they were once proven wrong, as on May 2nd, 2022, William McCray, a VA who had been in the business for many years, and was known for his soft, energetic voice, announced publicly, that he'd be voicing Elijah in Project Echo, and that a undisclosed VA would be voicing Jayson. He also confirmed, that the film would be a "remake" of the abandoned project, The Secret Life Of Jayson, a film that had been in limbo for many years.

A few days later, during a public appearance, at a convention, in Las Vegas, Edwin Johnson, confirmed, that he was asked to voice Jayson's dad, and he agreed, and told everyone, that he'd be trying to craft a unique voice, as much as possible, while adding his own emotion, and heart to the character. Jake Hensley, who was also at the conference, announced they were also looking for Female VAs to voice Lucille (Luna) & Greg, since their voice actors, were too generic sounding, and they wanted the characters to sound older. A day later, Jake posted online, that Elle Fanning would be voicing Luna, and that they were looking for someone who can yell with a serious tone, but also a sweet tone, to do Greg. It was revealed also, that Dean Norman, would be voicing Amaya's dad. In August, Johnson stated, that he had decided to step down from voicing Jayson's dad, due to getting tied in with a contract for a musical, that would cut into the time he would be doing voice work, but stated a new actor would be on board. Johnson confirmed, his son Ryan would take over as Amaya's dad, due to having a good light deep voice, and also being a bit younger, which would fit the character well. It was revealed that Charlie Day & Ed Helms were tied to the project, with Day voicing Edward, and Helms voicing a new character, who was still in development. A rumor started, that Bill Murray, would be in the film, as Amaya's uncle, however this was shot down by Hensley, who said that Murray was considered, but was too busy to appear. Hensley also revealed on the same day, that Zachary Levi, would be voicing Elijah's brother, Jerrod. A few days later, it was revealed by actor William Dafoe, that he would be voicing Amaya's uncle, who would make a appearance as a side character, and a important part of the plot. For the rest of Spring, more silence was given, and in December of 2022, 4 voice actors (Matthew Lillard, Addison Holley, John Goodman, & Matthew Broderick) were all announced to be working as voice actors on the film. In 2023, Jake confirmed that the film was moving along well, and that a official name, would be revealed soon, alongside some plot details. Another rumor started, in March of 2023, that Hensley was talking with several actors, including Jim Pirri, Alexander Meyers, & Steve Blum about possibly being in the film. Hensley confirmed, that both Pirri & Meyers would be in the movie, but ruled out Blum, saying that he never considered Blum for the film. In future updates, it was revealed that Jack Dylan Grazer would be voicing Jayson, replacing his original voice actor. It was also revealed that Amaya from PJ Masks fame, would also be used, but it would be a complete fabrication of the character, making her less of a superhero character, and more of a troubled suburban girl, having issues fitting in. It was also revealed, that Jayson & Amaya would have a relationship, and that Catboy would not be in the film, instead being ruled out, to give Jayson the leader spotlight. It was also revealed, that the "PJ Masks" would not exist in this film, as this would be a alternate universe, where they never formed. It was also revealed that Goodman had left the project, for undisclosed reasons. It was also revealed that Jacob Tremblay would voice Greg, and that Mark Fischbach, also known famously as Markiplier, would voice Jayson's dad, replacing Ryan, who talked with Fischbach in a private call. It was also revealed that the YouTuber Max Stanley, known on YouTube as Maxmoefoe, would be voicing Night Panther, which has been coined as a controversial take, due to Stanley's older age, but Hensley told critics, that Max will be sober during recordings, and will be crafting a unique performance for his character. It was also revealed that Chad Roberts, known on YouTube as Anything4views, was also going to be in the film, as a undisclosed character.

Synopsis
Jayson, a 15 year old boy, moves to the crazy city of Tarabiscoville, where anything can happen. While there, he runs into a boy named Benji, who tells him that Tarabiscoville is not what it seems, and that a underground villain group is trying to destroy the city, so Jayson meets with Greg & Amaya, whom after their previous leader, moved away, had been searching for a new leader to help stop the bad guys, so Jayson volunteers, but must deal with his own emotional struggles, and Benji.

Cast

 * Jack Dylan Grazer as Jayson & Benji
 * Addison Holley as Amaya/Owlette
 * William McCray as Elijah
 * Charlie Day as Edward
 * Ed Helms as Jeremiah
 * Zachary Levi as Jerrod
 * Elle Fanning as Lucille/Luna
 * Jacob Tremblay as Greg/Gekko
 * Max Stanley as Max/Night Panther
 * Chip Zien as Gary/Moonlight Lizard
 * Amelia McCray as Celeste/Dark Owl
 * Chad Roberts as TBD
 * Mark Fischbach as Jayson's dad
 * Jim Pirri as Steven, Amaya's dad
 * Matthew Broderick as Wyatt, Jayson's stepdad.
 * Brock Baker as Elijah's dad
 * Dean Norman as Amaya's dad
 * Alexander Meyers as The Principle
 * Matthew Lillard as Uncle Jerry (Jayson's uncle)
 * William Dafoe as Amaya's uncle
 * Nathan Lane as Amaya's second uncle

Release
It was revealed in June of 2023, that the film will premier on September 22nd, 2023 at select theaters across the country, and it would premier everywhere, on October 1st, 2023. A international release date, has yet to be announced, but the film will premier in Australia on September 30th, 2023 with both Maxmoefoe and Anything4views showing up for the premier, since they originate from Australia. The film will release on October 3rd, in most Australian cinemas. The film will feature a remake of the fictional 1988 short film, Nightmares, which will play before the film.