Whannell, Co-Creator of the INSIDIOUS and SAW Franchises, Will Also Write the Next Installment of Blumhouse’s Terrifying Horror Franchise Which Starts Principal Photography on July 7
Santa Monica, CA May 7, 2014 – Focus Features, Entertainment One (eOne), Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) and Blumhouse Productions announced today that Leigh Whannell will direct the third chapter of the INSIDIOUS film franchise which he will also write. Focus Features, which acquired the rights to release INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 from FilmDistrict, plans to bring the film to U.S. theaters on April 3, 2015. eOne will distribute the picture in Canada, U.K. and Spain. Sony will distribute the picture in the rest of the world. Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions, which produced both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, is producing the next installment along with Oren Peli and James Wan. Whannell has written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 which earned more than $40 million at the box office in its opening weekend 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. Whannell most recently wrote and starred in the Sundance hit COOTIES, the SXSW darling THE MULE, and, along with Wan, co-created the hit SAW franchise. Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Peter Schlessel, Lia Buman, and Xavier Marchand are executive producing. Principal photography of the movie is scheduled to start this summer on July 7th.
Peter Schlessel, Focus Features’ CEO, said, “It’s with great pleasure that we turn the INSIDIOUS franchise over to the co-creator Leigh Whannell. We are all excited to see in what direction Leigh takes the next installment and we are also glad to welcome James Wan to his new role as producer.”
Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse said, “We are all excited to bring a third film to audiences and know James and Leigh have great things in store for our fans. eOne and SPWA have been incredible partners on the INSIDIOUS franchise and we look forward to working together along with Focus Features, James Wan and Leigh on the next installment.”
“We’re thrilled to join forces with Leigh, Jason, James and this incredible team once again. Alongside Focus Features and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, we are excited to bring another installment of this successful franchise to its loyal fans in our territories and around the world,” said Marchand.
Steve Bersch, President of SPWA, added, “We are greatly looking forward to bringing this next chapter of INSIDIOUS to the International audience, and with Leigh at the helm we’re confident INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 will live up to the high standards set by the franchise.”
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 in Canada, U.K. and Spain, and in the rest of the world. It was released on April 1, 2011, and 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, followed the haunted Lambert family as they sought 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. The film grossed $160 million worldwide.
Whannell is represented by Paradigm, Stacey Testro International, and Attorney David Fox.
ABOUT FOCUS FEATURES
Focus Features (www.focusfeatures.com) makes, acquires, and releases movies from rising and established talent and filmmakers. The company is moving forward with a diverse slate of nine to eleven films a year, with most being wide releases appealing to a range of moviegoers. Staying true to the company’s roots, the slate will also include several specialty films each year. Internationally, Focus Features has consistently produced and distributed award-winning motion pictures worldwide, guiding them to box office success.
Upcoming Focus Features films include THE SIGNAL starring Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp and Laurence Fishburne; WISH I WAS HERE, a comedy directed by Zach Braff which also stars Braff along with Kate Hudson and Mandy Patinkin; THE BOXTROLLS, the new family event movie from LAIKA, directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable with a voice cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, and Tracy Morgan; the true-life dramatic thriller KILL THE MESSENGER directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Jeremy Renner; and THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING starring Eddie Redmayne, as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, along with Felicity Jones.
Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
ABOUT BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS
Blumhouse Productions, founded by Jason Blum, is a multi-media production company that has pioneered a new model of studio filmmaking- producing high-quality micro-budget films for wide release. Since its launch, Blumhouse has produced more than 30 feature films including the highly profitable Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge and Sinister franchises, all of which significantly out-grossed their budgets on opening weekend. Blumhouse’s The Purge, its first production under its first-look deal with Universal Pictures, opened to more than $34 million on its opening weekend with a budget of just $3 million. Insidious: Chapter Two from FilmDistrict, grossed $41.05 million on its opening weekend with just a $5m budget. Blumhouse’s upcoming micro-budget wide releases include Oculus for Relativity, Jessabelle for Lionsgate, The Next Chapter of The Purge for Universal and Paranormal Activity 5 for Paramount. Blumhouse International oversees foreign sales for Blumhouse’s films. BHI has a worldwide distribution and servicing deal with IM Global. In addition, Blumhouse is working on both scripted and non-scripted television projects. Blumhouse executive produced Stranded for SyFy and The River for ABC, and is also working on projects with HBO and MTV.
ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT ONE
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 35,000 film and television titles, 2,800 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES WORLDWIDE ACQUISITIONS
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypicturesworldwideacquisitions.com.