During a New York Comic Con (NYCC) panel Jason Blum confirmed that Blumhouse’s merger with James Wan’s Atomic Monster is “very close” to closing.
“It’s not quite done yet,” he said during the Universal Pictures’ “BlumFest” session. “It’s very close.” About a year ago it was announced that the two production entities were looking to join forces. While each company is expected to keep its own banner, this would give them a lot more crossover options in terms of IP.
Blumhouse holds franchises like “Paranormal Activity,” “The Purge,” “Halloween,” “Happy Death Day,” “The Exorcist,” and “Sinister.” While Wan’s Atomic Monster controls “The Conjuring,” “Insidious,” and “Saw.” As you can see, there is no shortage of blockbuster properties here. These companies have collectively grossed more than $11.6 billion worldwide since 2004.
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster already teamed up for the killer AI doll movie “M3gan” earlier this year. Which did well, and shows that there is definitely some chemistry in their production styles. Blum observed that Atomic Monster’s staffers “work differently than us.” “That’s what’s fun about the creative business. The second you have a formula, it doesn’t work. You can’t have a formula.”
They will be teaming up again on the upcoming “Night Swim” which is slated for release in January 2024. Director Bryce McGuire says he was inspired by “Jaws.” While he also strived to avoid making a“‘boo’-in-the-pool” movie when adapting his short into a feature film.
“Jaws didn’t only ruin the beach. It ruined the pool too,” McGuire said. A motivating factor “was me seeing Jaws at 9 years old and being in the pool at night.”
When discussing the development of “Night Swim,” Blum said of McGuire, “We always look for a certain dementia and a joy and reveling in scaring people.”
We’ll keep you posted on updates about the merger and “Night Swim” as they become available.
