In under a decade, Blumhouse Productions has become a major name in horror, producing such hit franchises as Paranormal Activity, Insidious and Purge. Now their distribution deal with Universal has revealed three potentially new projects on the horizon. We've got the release dates, but the films themselves remain a mystery. Still, we're not without clues.
Coming Soon reports Universal Pictures has updated their theatrical release schedule, reaching in so far as the fall of 2016. On this revised schedule, Blumhouse Productions is holding placeholder release dates on September 25, 2015, January 8, 2016, and October 21, 2016. No titles or loglines are being tied to these debuts at present. So let's do some sleuthing.
First off, it might seem safe to assume that all three of these titles will be horror movies, as that is Blumhouse's forte. However, founder Jason Blum has been expanding the brand in intriguing new directions. With Ryan Murphy, he produced the made-for-TV drama The Normal Heart that digs into the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. Plus, he's producing a live-action musical adaptation of the beloved 1980s cartoon show Jem and the Holograms. This buzzed about project has G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu at the helm, but does not currently have a release date. So perhaps one of these three is being held for Jem's revival. Maybe it's one of the 2016 dates, as that's where IMDB has it predicted to premiere.
There are actually a slew of known films coming up from Blumhouse, many of which don't have cemented releases. Looking to September 25, 2015, there are a few possibilities, first of which is The Veil, a cult-centered horror flick with Jessica Alba, Thomas Jane and Lily Rabe. Another possibility for this date is the Kevin Bacon-fronted 6 Miranda Drive, which centers on a family who brings a supernatural presence home after a vacation to the Grand Canyon. Maybe September 25th is intended for Blumhouse's Amityville, which throws Bella Thorne and Jennifer Jason Leigh into the long-established horror franchise. All of these are earmarked for 2015 release at present, but none have gotten an official premiere slot.
Notably, Incarnate, director Brad Peyton's first film since Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, is slated for a January 8, 2015 release in the Netherlands. But it seems unlikely that Blumhouse would hold it all the way to the fall for its stateside drop. Blumhouse's Jennifer Lopez vehicle called The Boy Next Door is slated to open in the U.S. on January 23, 2015, followed by Lazarus, an Olivia Wilde-fronted thriller set to hit on January 30th.
Basically, Blumhouse has a lot of projects we already know about brewing. And they aren't apparently shy about lining up releases close together. So what could the micro-studio known for lean budgets and fast turn around be planning for 2016? We'll keep you posted.
