Following the impressive box office success of Insidious: Chapter Two, another sequel in the horror franchise is moving forward. eOne, FilmDistrict, and Sony Pictures Worldwide announced today that they are developing a third Insidious film, with Insidious and Insidious: Chapter Two screenwriter Leigh Whannell returning to pen the screenplay. James Wan directed the first two installments, but after the back-to-back successes of The Conjuring and Insidious 2, he has stated his intention to move away from the horror genre and try his hand at other kinds of films. He’s currently busy directing Fast & Furious 7 and the press release makes no mention of his involvement with Insidious: Chapter Three, so it's unlikely that he will return to direct.
Jason Blum and Oren Peli are producing the third installment, but further details about the horror sequel are unknown. The second film made over $40 million in its opening weekend against a $5 million budget, so clearly continuing the series is in the best interest of the studios. Hopefully Whannell develops a worthwhile story. Hit the jump to read the press release.
Here’s the press release:
ENTERTAINMENT ONE, FILMDISTRICT, AND
SONY PICTURES WORLDWIDE ACQUISITIONS DEVELOPING
THIRD INSTALLMENT OF INSIDIOUS FILM FRANCHISE
PRODUCED BY BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS
INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER TWO Screenwriter Leigh Whannell to
Write Script of Third Film
Los Angeles September 16, 2013 – Entertainment One (eOne), FilmDistrict, and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) announced today that together they will be developing the third chapter of the micro-budgeted INSIDIOUS film franchise which Leigh Whannell has signed on to write. Whannell has written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 which just had a stellar first weekend release in North America debuting to more than $40 million at the box office making it one of the largest horror genre openings ever and one of the biggest openings for a film released in the month of September. Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions, which produced both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, is producing the next installment along with Oren Peli. Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh Jones, Peter Schlessel, Lia Buman and Xavier Marchand are executive producing.
In a joint statement, Peter Schlessel, FilmDistrict’s CEO, Xavier Marchand, eOne’s President, Film Production, and Steven Bersch, President of SPWA, said, “The release of the first INSIDIOUS resonated with audiences around the world and quickly became one of the most talked about films in 2011. This weekend moviegoers enjoyed the terrifying continuation of the first film and we are confident they will be excited to see the third chapter of the INSIDIOUS world. There is nobody better suited to bring audiences the next chapter of this haunting story than Leigh who has brilliantly written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2.”
Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse said, “FilmDistrict, eOne and SPWA have been incredible partners on the INSIDIOUS franchise. We are all so grateful for how audiences embraced James Wan and Leigh's latest film and are excited to see what Leigh has in store for the third chapter.”
The first INSIDIOUS told the story of Josh and Renai Lambert and their son Dalton, confronting the demons that possess the young boy. The project was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and distributed by FilmDistrict in the US. eOne handles rights to the film in Canada, U.K. and Spain, and Sony handles rights in the rest of the world. It was released on April 1, 2011, and has grossed $97 million worldwide. With the picture’s reported $1.5 million budget, it has led to the film being called the most profitable film of 2011.
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, the terrifying sequel, follows the haunted Lambert family as they seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, and Barbara Hershey reprised their roles in the film directed by James Wan, who also directed the first installment.
Whannell is represented by Paradigm.