A few release date shuffles have been announced.  Briefly:

• I, Frankenstein – Director Stuart Beattie’s graphic novel adaptation has been pushed back yet again from this coming September to the less-than-promising date of January 24th.  The Aaron Eckhart-starrer will now open opposite the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Sam Worthington thriller Ten.
• Insidious: Chapter 2 – The Patrick Wilson/Rose Byrne-fronted horror sequel will now open a week earlier on September 13th, opposite Machete Kills and Battle of the Year.
• Austenland – Sony Pictures Classic has set Jerusha Hess’ Sundance comedy for a limited release in NY and LA on August 16th.  The film stars Keri Russell and Jemaine Clement.
• Walk of Shame – Director Steven Brill’s comedy, which stars Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden, has been slated for wide release on September 20th.  The film will open opposite the Hugh Jackman/Jake Gyllenhaal thriller Prisoners and Ron Howard’s racing drama Rush.
• Escape Plan - The Arnold Schwarzenegger/Sylvester Stallone thriller previously known as The Tomb has been moved up from September 27th to September 13th.

From Jason Blum (Insidious, Sinister) and Josh Gates (Destination Truth), Stranded is the new Syfy reality series that uses the same stripped-down first-person method from Paranormal Activity to document an unconventional and terrifying paranormal and psychological experiment, in which participants are stranded at haunted location for a week and must record the entire experience themselves.  Each of the six hour-long episodes features the self-recorded footage of a group of everyday paranormal enthusiasts, combined with strategically-placed security cameras at each location.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, executive producer Jason Blum talked about how Stranded came about and why he thought it was a great fit for what he’d already done on the narrative side, the process of selecting the individuals and locations for the show, how he got some fun ideas for future movies while they were scouting possible haunted locations, and where his love for genre and horror started.  He also talked about how he expects Paranormal Activity 5 to go into production in middle to late Spring for an October release, why he and the film’s partners thought there was further story to be explored for Insidious 2, what made him want to collaborate with Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee) on a modern-day remake of The Town that Dreaded Sundown, that he hopes Area 51 will be released soon, and that he’s not currently juggling quite as many projects as IMDB would lead you to believe.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

The new Syfy reality series Stranded, which debuted on February 27^th, documents an unconventional and often terrifying paranormal and psychological experiment.  Each episode features the self-recorded footage of a diverse group of every-day paranormal enthusiasts who are left stranded at one of the most haunted locations in America and record the entire experience with hand-held cameras creating an unscripted first-hand account of their stay.

While we will share what executive producer Jason Blum had to say about the new show next week, we did want to share his updates on some of his current and upcoming feature films.  Blum told Collider that he expect Paranormal Activity 5 to go into production in middle to late Spring for an October release and that he hopes that franchise will remain ongoing, why he and the film’s partners thought there was further story to be explored for Insidious 2, what made him want to collaborate with Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee) on a modern-day remake of The Town that Dreaded Sundown and why he thinks that will appeal to audiences, that he hopes Area 51 will be released soon, and that he’s not currently juggling quite as many projects as IMDB would lead you to believe.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Things are moving quickly on the sequel to 2011’s horror hit Insidious.  We learned this February that director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell were reteaming for the follow-up, and FilmDistrict announced today that Insidious Chapter 2 will be hitting theaters on August 30, 2013.  Wan is again directing from a script by Whannell, and Jason Blum is back to produce through his Blumhouse Productions company.  Moreover, the first film’s cast of Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, and Ty Simpkins will also be back to reprise their roles.

Not plot details are given, but production on the low-budget sequel is set to begin on January 15, 2013.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

One of the many films to premiere footage at this year’s New York Comic-Con was director James Wan‘s (Insidious) supernatural thriller The Conjuring.  The film stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as “a husband and wife team of demonologists and psychic investigators who enter the most horrifying case of their career, spirits in a Rhode Island farmhouse.”  Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor play a couple who unknowingly move into the haunted farmhouse with their kids.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s recap of the Comic-Con panel.

Shortly before the panel started, I saw down with Wilson for an exclusive video interview.  We talked about how he got involved in The Conjuring and what attracted him to the material, what it’s like attending a comic convention after playing Nite Owl in Watchmen, what’s his favorite cut of the film, his thoughts on walking around a future convention in costume as Nite Owl, an adaptation of Caught Stealing, the status of an Insidious sequel, what it was like to do a reading for Rob Marshall‘s screen adaptation of Into the Woods, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

One of the most successful films profit-wise from last year was James Wan’s Insidious. The horror pic was made for a mere $1.5 million and ended up grossing over $95 million. That’s quite a hefty profit. Given the film’s success, it was pretty much guaranteed to get a sequel. Now it’s official, as Variety reports that a follow-up is currently in the works for a 2013 release. The creative team behind the first film, director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, are coming back for the second go-around, and James Blum is coming back to produce. Whannell had this to say regarding the sequel:

“It is with great excitement that we announce our commitment to a second installment of this story. Both of us feel that we can mine more terror from the world we created and know that if we assemble every member of the original team, we will have an amazing continuation of the story for fans of the first film.”

Production is set to get underway later this year, but plot details are (predictably) being kept under wraps. Head to the comments to sound off on where you think the sequel will go. Wan will next direct Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the supernatural thriller The Conjuring.