Horror moguls James Wan and Jason Blum have reportedly entered talks to merge their companies Atomic Monster and Blumhouse.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, two of the most successful producers of American horror films are in advanced negotiations to unite their studios. Under the proposed deal, Blum’s Blumhouse and Wan’s Atomic Monster would still operate as separate labels, each maintaining creative autonomy as well as their well-established brand identities. However, combining their creative and financial resources would allow the companies a higher stake in branching out into other forms of entertainment and storytelling like live and VR experiences, audio, and video games. Blumhouse is already part of a multi-year cooperation between Meta and NBCUniversal, and Wan has seen his Saw franchise (which is not housed at Atomic Monster) turned into video games and theme park attractions. The roller coaster Saw – The Ride is a permanent fixture at the UK’s Thorpe Park.
A merger would also get Atomic Monster a first-look deal with Universal Pictures – something that Blumhouse already has. Wan's studio had a similar set-up with Warner Bros. Pictures that ultimately expired in 2021; Despite this, the filmmaker is currently finishing up Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as a director and producer. Universal Pictures has distributed the recent Blum-produced trilogy of Halloween movies and will release M3GAN in January 2023. The highly anticipated sci-fi horror film about a murderous, self-aware android was already co-produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster. Wan is also credited for co-writing the story with screenwriter Akela Cooper.
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster Have History
M3GAN doesn’t mark the first time Blumhouse and Atomic Monster joined forces. The studios already partnered in 2007 for the horror hit Insidious, which spawned a lucrative franchise and was a precursor for Blum’s and Wan’s careers in producing quality low-budget horror films. Atomic Monster’s scary doll movie Annabelle (2014) was budgeted at $6.5 million, earning over $250 million worldwide. Blumhouse’s signature production, the satirical horror movie Get Out, achieved similar financial success and was nominated for four Academy Awards in major categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Daniel Kaluuya). Writer-director Jordan Peele ended up taking the trophy home for his screenplay. By producing Get Out and Peele’s follow-up feature Us, Blumhouse is also considered instrumental in launching the recent trend of ‘elevated horror’ movies, a subgenre known for tackling controversial topics and eschewing traditional scares.
M3GAN is scheduled to be released in theaters on Jan. 6, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter