Prolific horror producers Jason Blum and James Wan are in advanced talks to merge their respective production companies, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, Deadline can confirm.
If the merger goes through, Atomic Monster will benefit from Blumhouse’s first-look deal with Universal Pictures after signing its own deal with Warner Bros. signed over the summer. The companies are expected to continue to operate as separate labels, each retaining their own creative autonomy and brand identity.
The alliance is expected to enhance the companies’ collective performance, with Atomic Monster leveraging Blumhouse’s existing infrastructure to expand its business into film, television and new content areas, including games, live experiences and audio.
On the film side, Blumhouse is known for horror franchises including Paranormal activity, The raid, Halloween, Happy death day, Divide, Ouija, Unfriendly, The exorcist and Creepy. Blumhouse has already had a full year in horror The black phone starring Ethan Hawke, which grossed $159 million worldwide on a $22 million budget. They also fell recently Halloween ends, the latest chapter in their remastered series on the classic horror franchise. The film broke streaming records on Peacock and just passed $100 million at the global box office.
Atomic Monster is now known for his work on film series such as The evocative, the insidious and Saw. The companies have collectively earned more than $11.6 billion worldwide since 2004, with horror projects accounting for nearly $8.5 billion of that. As a director, Wan counts the highest-grossing DC film of all time among his filmography. Aquarius, which grossed over $1.1 billion. He is directing the sequel Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, which is expected at Christmas next year.
News of talks between Blum and Wan was first reported by the New York Times. This comes ahead of the Universal horror thriller’s release on January 6, 2023 M3gan, produced by both companies. Directed by Gerard Johnstone from a screenplay by Akela Cooper based on the story of Cooper and Wan.
Writer: Matt Grobar
Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
