Jason Blum

CAPTAIN AMERICA Director Joe Johnston to Helm Micro-Budget Thriller NOT SAFE FOR WORK

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 5:35 pm

Director Joe Johnston is making a radical departure for his follow-up feature after last year’s Captain America: The First Avenger. The Jurassic Park III helmer has signed on to direct the micro-budget thriller Not Safe for Work. Written by Adam Mason and Simon Boyes, THR reports that the film centers on a young paralegal who is trapped in an office with a killer on a mission to destroy files for another corporation. Johnston is used to working with considerably larger budgets on films like The Wolfman and The Rocketeer, but Not Safe for Work will be made for a mere $2.5 million.

The pic is set up at Universal and will be made through Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Pictures. Blum is no stranger to the small budget/big profit model, as he produced all three Paranormal Activity films as well as one of the most profitable films of last year, Insidious. Captain America grossed over $360 million worldwide, so I’d say Johnston is allowed to do whatever the hell he wants with his follow-up picture. It’ll be interesting to see the director adapt to such a small scale, and I’m intrigued to find out what Johnston saw in the story that made him take such a big risk.

Ethan Hawke to Star in Horror Film VIGILANDIA

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 3:38 pm

From Jason Blum, the producer who brought you the Paranormal Activity series and the 2011 surprise hit Insidious, comes another low-budget horror movie titled Vigilandia. Being called a “futuristic thriller” for Universal, there’s not much else we know about the picture at present. What we do know is that Ethan Hawke (Training Day) is expected to star. James DeMonaco (Little New York) will direct from a script that he wrote and plans to begin production on February 13^th. Vigilandia will be a joint production effort among Blumhouse Productions, Platinum Dunes and Why Not Productions. This will be the first picture under Blumhouse’s new deal with Universal after Blum produced the previously mentioned horror success stories. Hit the jump for more.

Summit Acquires Scott Derrickson’s Untitled Horror Film Starring Ethan Hawke; New Details Emerge

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 1st, 2011 at 5:11 pm

Last week, we let you know that Ethan Hawke had signed on to star in a low-budget, found footage horror film from director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose). Although details on the film were sparse at that time, info is beginning to bleed out now that Summit Entertainment has acquired U.S. domestic rights to the pic. According to Deadline, the film will see Hawke take on the role of a journalist who moves his family from corner to corner so as to get the skinny on gruesome murders that he then adapts into books. As the story goes, Hawke and co. move into a house where an entire family was murdered, only to find said footage which lets them in on what really happened.

It’s believed that the project will cost less than $5 million to make with Paranormal Activity and Insidious‘ Jason Blum co-producing alongside Brian Kavanaugh-Jones’ Automatik Entertainment. Given Blum’s track record of turning low-budget horror projects into profit, I’d say there is minimal risk at play here at least from Summit’s perspective. The studio is expected to follow the tried and true formula of releasing the pic, which Derrickson co-wrote with C. Robert Cargill, to limited theaters initially with a commitment for potential wide release to follow.

INSIDIOUS Producer Teams With Director Scott Derrickson for Untitled Horror-Mystery

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 3rd, 2011 at 5:43 pm

Producer Jason Blum (Insidious) is teaming up with director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) for a new horror-mystery. 24 Frames reports that the plot for the untitled film is still under wraps, but it’s said to be a “horror story with a crime at the center.” Blum’s Insidious was made on a tiny budget of $2 million but so far has raked in almost $50 million domestically.

The small-budget large-return model will be used yet again for this new film. I quite liked The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and enjoyed the way Derrickson handle both the horror and courtroom drama genres with equal gravitas. Hopefully he can do the same this time, with the new untitled flick going for more than the cheap gore thrills and jump-scares. Derrickson is aiming for a summer shoot. No word on casting at the moment.

Rob Zombie to Direct THE LORDS OF SALEM

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 3rd, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Rob Zombie will direct the thriller The Lords of Salem this spring.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Zombie’s script is “set in contemporary Salem, where the inhabitants receive a demonic visit from a 300-year old coven of witches.”  I’m sure the coven comes by because they heard how swimmingly everything went for witches the last time they were in Salem area.  The film will be backed by Haunted Movies, which is a partnership between the UK’s Alliance films and Paranormal Activity producers Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and Steven Schneider.  Haunted Movies plans to sell the rights to The Lords of Salem at the European Film Market in Berlin.  They’ll also be showing footage from Barry Levinson’s upcoming film The Bay.

Unknowns Cast in Barry Levinson’s THE BAY

by Laura Kelley    Posted: September 27th, 2010 at 9:51 pm

Several unknowns have been tapped to star in Barry Levinson’s upcoming horror film The Bay (aka Isopod.)  According to Bloody Disgusting, the film stars Will Rogers  as “Alex,” Steven Kunken as “Dr. Abrams,” Kether Donohue as “Donna,” Frank Deal as “John Stockman,” Christopher Denham as “Sam,” and Kristin Connolly as “Stephanie”.  The film is currently shooting from a screenplay written by Michael Wallach which tells the story of a biological disaster that takes place in the Chesapeake Bay on July 4^th, 2011.  An isopod parasite carries mutated diseases and infects fish and human hosts, replacing them with itself.  The true extent of the disaster isn’t known until seven years later, when the truth is revealed through home videos taken by residents of the town.  Paranormal Activity’s producers of Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and Steven Schneider are producing along with Brian Kavanagh Jones.

Wayne McClammy in Talks to Direct Isla Fisher Comedy Vehicle, DESPERADOS

by Laura Kelley    Posted: May 17th, 2010 at 10:10 pm

Wayne McClammy, the director of the hilarious Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel shorts “I’m Fucking Matt Damon” and “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck,” is in negotiations with Universal to direct their upcoming comedy Desperados.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Isla Fisher may star in the project, which is currently in development.  Mark Gordon and Jason Blum will produce the film written by Ellen Rapaport which is described as a “female version of The Hangover.”  The film is about a woman who sends her new boyfriend an angry email when he doesn’t contact her after they have sex, but it turns out he’s in a coma in a hospital in Mexico so she and her friends go to erase the email before he wakes up.  Production is set to start by the end of the year.

Hit the jump to check out “I’m Fucking Matt Damon” and “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck”.

Akiva Goldsman Joins PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, But Will Not Direct

by Max Steven Miller    Posted: March 16th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

While the minds behind The First Avenger: Captain America are consistently frustrating fans with their ever-growing grocery list of potential on-camera talent, the sequel to one of the biggest horror movies of all time is having a similar problem behind the camera.

Last month, Collider reported that Brian De Palma (Scarface, Carrie) was one of many directors being considered to direct Paranormal Activity 2.  That rumor seems to have lost its steam with Shock’s report claiming that screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, whose works include A Beautiful Mind (for which he won an Oscar) and Batman & Robin, will be announced as the sequel’s director.

However, it has just been reported that the rumor is not true. Hit the jump to find out the current state of the production team behind the sequel and to find out when we should expect an official director announcement.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 Gets Ready To SAW Audiences In October

by Bill Graham    Posted: January 18th, 2010 at 10:09 pm

Whenever a film becomes a smash hit, there are the inevitable rip-offs and finally the sequel. For Paranormal Activity, we already have news that the director that cut his teeth on Saw VI has come aboard the untitled and mysterious sequel to the hit that tore into audiences worldwide for over $150 million last year despite only having a budget of $15,000.

According to THR, Kevin Greutert will direct the sequel while Michael R. Perry will write. Greutert edited the first five Saw films and sat in the director’s chair for the sixth installment last October. Meanwhile, Perry has hopped from a variety of TV shows, but is best known for his writing on The Guardian and Millennium. Not exactly the ideal guys to put behind the sequel, but there is a silver lining:

Isla Fisher Is Getting DESPERADOS

by Michael Sullivan    Posted: November 5th, 2009 at 10:49 pm

Universal Pictures has picked up a spec for the “female ‘Hangover’” as a potential star vehicle for Isla Fisher.  The film, titled “Desperados,” tells the story of a woman who sends an angry email to her new boyfriend after he stops returning her calls only to learn that the reason he turned silent is that he’s in a coma in Mexico.  Now she and a group of friends must race south of the border to intercept the message before he wakes up.  More details after the jump.

Sam Raimi Takes REFUGE. With a Yeti.

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 pm

Sam Raimi is producing a supernatural horror film about a Yeti terrorizing a remote town.  This picture represents a 100% increase in the number of Yeti films currently in production. I think we’re pretty much done.  I’ll give you more details after the jump but seriously:  Sam Raimi plus Yeti.  We’re already trying to buy a ticket (at least I am).

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