“Saw,” “Insidious” and “The Conjuring” filmmaker James Wan is coming onboard a revival of the “Paranormal Activity” franchise.
In the wake of the merging of his company, Atomic Monster, with that of franchise producer Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, he and Blum will team to produce a new entry in the franchise.
Paramount will co-finance, co-produce and distribute the movie while Oren Peli, the filmmaker behind the original 2007 film, will also produce.
Wan says in a statement: “I’ve been a huge admirer of Paranormal Activity since the brilliant first movie, with its creeping slow burn and subtle ability to make the unseen terrifying. I’m looking forward to expanding on its legacy and helping shape the next evolution of this scary found-footage franchise.”
Blum says in a statement: “Diving in with James for this exciting rebirth of the franchise that started it all for Blumhouse is exactly what we dreamed of when we merged with Atomic Monster. I’ll be actively involved with him to introduce this new chapter, Thankfully, we’re able to spend a little more than the $15,000 we had on the first movie, but one thing will remain the same — do not see it alone.”
The original found footage film grossed $194 million worldwide off a $15,000 budget, leading it to being often cited as the most profitable film ever made.
It subsequently spawned a franchise with six further films produced – the most recent being 2021’s “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin” – though the third film was the only one aside from the first that landed good reviews.
Source: THR
