Two of the biggest names in horror are about to team up, but no, not Freddy and Jason. James Wan and Jason Blum are reportedly in “advanced” talks to merge their production companies Atomic Monster and Blumhouse.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming merger would see the two companies continue to operate as separate labels, with each “maintaining its own creative autonomy and brand identity”.
Between them, Wan and Blum have been responsible for some of the biggest modern horror franchises, including Saw, Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring, and Sinister.
Also following the merger, Atomic Monster would gain a first-look deal with Universal, which Blumhouse has currently. Universal recently released Halloween Ends for Blumhouse and is also distributing M3GAN, a film that Wan and Blum teamed up on about an overprotective AI doll that goes on a bloody rampage to keep its child owner safe.
It’s also reported that both labels will be looking to expand further into video games, live experiences, and even audio. Wan has already seen his movies become Halloween-themed attractions and VR experiences, while Blumhouse is a part of Meta and NBCUniversal’s collaboration to bring existing franchises into the metaverse.
The pair first teamed up for the 2007 film Insidious, which spawned several sequels and is still, somewhere, in line for a potential crossover with Sinister – mashing together two of the scariest horror films of all time (and that’s been proven by science).
Want to read more about horror? Check out our 25 best horror movies of all time as well as the newest horror movies to watch following a terrifying Halloween.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/two-major-horror-movie-powerhouses-are-getting-ready-to-merge