2023 may prove to be a chill annus horribilis for two Hollywood production companies poised to sink their collective fangs into the macabre: James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse.
After talks that occupied much of the bleak December, the pair are poised to announce a deal that would make NBC Universal a major player in the horror genre.
As Universal’s CEO Jeff Shell describes the potential merger “I can’t confirm it, [but] if that should happen, we are going to be in an absolutely impregnable position.”
Details about the deal are still under wraps, but it’s anticipated by industry observers that Atomic Monster and Blumhouse would continue to operate somewhat autonomously under the arrangement, keeping their own creative and brand identities. Atomic Monster would benefit from Blumhouse’s clout on various platforms, including film, television, audio, games, and live productions.
Jason Blum, for one, is already enthusiastic about the merger, telling reporters that “James is probably 70 to 80 percent artist and 30 to 20 percent business person, and I am the reverse.
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The Australian-born Wan, who turns 46 in February, began his career with the Saw franchise and made his film debut as a director in 2004. The Conjuring Universe is the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time, having taken in more than $2 billion.
Blumhouse already has an impressive track record in the horrorsphere, including such franchises as Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Halloween, Happy Death Day, Split, Ouija, Unfriended, The Exorcist and Sinister. It also helped produce The Black Phone and Halloween Ends. For its part, Atomic Monster conjured up such titles as The Conjuring, Insidious. and Saw, thanks to Wan’s already legendary creativity. Nun 2, another installment in the Conjuring franchise, is scheduled for release this coming September.
The pair can now also look to what the future might hold if their companies merge. One specific film that popped up is a sequel to The Invisible Man, which Blum is hoping Wan will be able to help revive talks for. “Hopefully, should our dreams come true and our two companies get to work together, maybe James will help me solve that problem,” said Blum, to which Wan added “I’d be more than happy to.
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The two entities have a new horror flick “M3gan,” a horror-thriller that will debut from Universal on January 6.