We can stop guessing what studio will snatch up Curry Barker’s next movie. The filmmaker will officially be staying with Universal Film Group and Blumhouse Atomic Monster for his next project. Which makes sense given that Focus Features, the studio behind his hit Obsession and upcoming feature Anything But Ghosts, is under the Universal umbrella. Making this currently untitled film the 3rd with the company.
This is also not to be confused with Barker’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, which is being done through A24.
The project is reported to be part of an eight-figure deal for Barker to write, produce, and direct. Plot details are firmly under wraps at this time. But we do know it will be an original concept from Barker that was bought off a pitch to Universal.
Roy Lee and Steven Schneider’s Spooky Pictures and Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath’s Divide/Conquer will all return to produce.
“This film is something I’ve been excited to make for a while, and I’m thrilled to be reteaming with Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal Film Group for it,” said Barker. “They’ve built the kind of home for bold, original storytelling that every filmmaker dreams of, and I couldn’t imagine better collaborators for this film.”
Big Swings on Small Budgets
If Anything But Ghosts is even remotely as successful as Obsession, it may be the box office backing for studios to take chances on smaller titles. Audiences have been saying we want original IPs for years. And a $750,000 movie raking in well over 200 million is proof that’s hard to ignore. Obsession is officially Focus Features biggest film to date, both domestically and internationally. This is the kind of return on investment most studios can only dream of.
“With Obsession, Curry did what only a handful of filmmakers manage in a generation: he made something wholly original that connected with a massive audience, and that connection is what we care about most. The best filmmakers can work anywhere, and we are proud to have a growing slate with Curry. Getting to put this project in front of the fans his work speaks to is the whole reason we do this,” said Blumhouse Atomic Monster partners James Wan and Jason Blum in a joint statement.
We’ll keep you posted on Barker’s next projects as they develop.
