It looks like Jason Blum and James Wan are preparing to change the landscape of the horror film industry. Few names stand out as much as James Wan and Jason Blum in horror films. Wan and Blum have collectively earned billions at the box office. Jason Blum’s Blumhouse is a staple in horror today and James Wan’s name spawned a sprawling Conjuring franchise. These titans in horror are in the late stages of combining their companies into a single horror film factory.
The New York Times is sharing the news about these two joining forces a shares the following:
He (Jason Blum) is pushing for Blumhouse to make at least eight horror movies for release in theaters each year, up from the three or four it has historically delivered. And he wants to make another slate of horror flicks for Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service. Blumhouse also makes television series.
Mr. Blum’s primary challenge?
“I don’t have one idea to turn into a horror movie,” he said. “Not one. I built a business by recognizing great ideas from other people.”
Enter (James) Wan, whose first-look deal with Warner Bros. expired in June after seven years. His production company, Atomic Monster, which has nine employees, has been involved with horror films (“Lights Out,” “The Nun,” “Annabelle: Creation”) that have taken in at least $3.5 billion at the box office over the years.
“I have so many ideas — so many ideas — more than I can handle by myself,” Mr. Wan said, adding that he would like to expand into horror-related video games, podcasts, live events and perhaps merchandise.
Mr. Blum, 53, and Mr. Wan, 45, declined to discuss the contours of the proposed deal, except to say that Atomic Monster would become a creatively autonomous label inside of Blumhouse and have a first-look deal with Universal. They hope to close the deal during the first quarter of next year.
This is incredible news for horror fans. James Wan and Jason Blum’s names are the ones that I think of when discussing anticipated horror. There are a few exceptions but few films deliver as consistently as the projects with their involvement. I am a huge fan of the conjuring franchise and the many spinoff films that followed. I am also finding myself watching more and more Blumhouse movies like The Black Phone and walking away pleased.
I really like the idea of these two working together and freeing up James Wan to create. This seems like a match made in hell with us all getting the best of both worlds. I am looking forward to James Wan potentially getting involved in television through this deal. I’m going to have to check and see if James Wan has the right to use any of his previous work in this new deal with Universal. Can you imagine a Conjuring, (or Conjuring-like), TV series with James Wan’s input?
