A quarter of a century after Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez's The Blair Witch Project shocked moviegoers with its immersive found footage style and shook the internet to its cyberspace core with innovative marketing campaigns, Lionsgate and Blumhouse have announced at CinemaCon that they are teaming up for a reimagining of The Blair Witch Project:
Press Release: SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 10, 2024 – On the heels of their collaboration on the horror film Imaginary, Lionsgate and Blumhouse today announced that they will partner on the development and production of a new The Blair Witch Project as the first film in a multi-picture pact with Blumhouse reimagining horror classics from the Lionsgate library. The announcement was made today by Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, and Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse.
Based at Universal Pictures, where it has a first look deal, Blumhouse is the gold standard in the horror space, generating blockbuster results from a string of modestly-budgeted films including the Paranormal Activity franchise, Insidious, The Purge, Sinister, Halloween, Five Nights at Freddy’s and M3GAN along with award winners Get Out and BlacKkKlansman. Blumhouse films have grossed nearly $6 billion at the worldwide box office.
Blum will team with producer Roy Lee on the new Blair Witch; Lee previously produced the 2016 film Blair Witch.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with Jason many times over the years. We forged a strong relationship on The Purge when I was at Universal, and we launched STX with his film The Gift. There is no one better at this genre than the team at Blumhouse,” said Fogelson. “We are thrilled to kick this partnership off with a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation. We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with them on this and other projects we look forward to revealing soon.”
“I’m very grateful to Adam and the team at Lionsgate for letting us play in their sandbox. I’m a huge admirer of The Blair Witch Project, which brought the idea of found footage horror to mainstream audiences and became a true cultural phenomenon,” said Blum. “I don’t think there would have been a Paranormal Activity had there not first been a Blair Witch, so this feels like a truly special opportunity and I’m excited to see where it leads.”
The first Blair Witch film, The Blair Witch Project, was released in 1999. It became a worldwide blockbuster, taking in $248 million and spawning two additional franchise films. Lionsgate currently operates Escape Blair Witch, one of Las Vegas’s most popular escape room experiences.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) encompasses world-class motion picture and television studio operations aligned with the STARZ premium subscription platform to bring a unique and varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers around the world. The Company’s film, television, subscription and location-based entertainment businesses are backed by a 20,000+ title library and a valuable collection of iconic film and television franchises. A digital age company driven by its entrepreneurial culture and commitment to innovation, the Lionsgate brand is synonymous with bold, original, relatable entertainment for audiences worldwide.
About Blumhouse
Blumhouse is the driving force in horror, producing over 200 movies and television series with theatrical grosses of almost $6 billion in global box office. Blumhouse is home to the highest number of ongoing franchises of any studio, including Halloween, The Purge, The Black Phone, Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist, Insidious, M3GAN, and Five Nights at Freddy's, along with iconic films from cinematic visionaries including Jordan Peele's Get Out, Damien Chazelle's Whiplash and Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. In January 2024, Blumhouse merged with James Wan’s Atomic Monster, which has produced its own successful film franchises including The Conjuring, Aquaman, Annabelle, The Nun and Saw.
In addition to film, Blumhouse produces provocative scripted and unscripted television series and documentaries, including the upcoming original series The Sticky, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis for Amazon; The Bondsman, starring Kevin Bacon and from creator Grainger David and showrunner Erik Oleson, also for Amazon; Worst Roommate Ever for Netflix; and The Jinx for HBO. The company also recently launched a games division.
Blumhouse was honored by Fast Company as one of its Most Innovative Companies in 2024 and one of its Brands That Matter in 2023. The company is investing in its brand development and connection with audiences through its consistent presence at Universal Studios’ annual Halloween Horror Nights, its first Halfway to Halloween Film Festival with AMC and its upcoming transformation of an exhibit space at the iconic Stanley Hotel from The Shining.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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