James Wan and Jason Blum have been responsible for some of the biggest horror hits of the last twenty years, and it seems that they’re looking to officially join forces. The New York Times has reported that James Wan and Jason Blum are in “advanced talks” to merge their companies, Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster.
“James is probably 70 to 80 percent artist and 30 to 20 percent business person, and I am the reverse,” Jason Blum said. James Wan added, “We really do complement each other, yin and yang, which is part of what makes this so exciting.” Should the proposed deal go through, James Wan’s Atomic Monster would become a “creatively autonomous label inside of Blumhouse and have a first-look deal with Universal.” James Wan said the merger would give him “a bigger canvas to paint on, if you will. Universal is very supportive of filmmakers and brilliant at marketing. To have partners that trust you, that believe in you, that goes a long way.” The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023.
Although this deal would make things official, James Wan and Jason Blum have worked together for quite some time, starting with the first Insidious movie. The New York Times report states that it was actually James Wan who got the conversation started. Atomic Monster had pitched M3GAN to Warner Bros., but they wound up passing as they already have the Annabelle series. Wan then took the project to Blum, who immediately snapped it up, and the pair began discussing a possible merger. Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairwoman Donna Langley said that a combined Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster would be “powerful and exponential,” adding, “James Wan and Jason Blum know how to create franchises and attract talent. There is a great deal they could do across the NBCUniversal portfolio, including Peacock and theme parks.“
