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Universal In Talks With Elisabeth Moss for ‘The Invisible Man’

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While there may no longer be hope for the Dark Universe, the standalone movies continue on full-steam ahead.  In an exclusive update, Variety is reporting that Elisabeth Moss will star in the re-imagining of the Universal Studios classic monster story The Invisible Man (with an assist from Blumhouse Productions.)  Man (based on the 1897 H.G. Wells novel) was initially slated to be part of Universal’s “Dark Universe”, a series of interconnected films that would reunite all of the original “Universal Monster” characters into a single cinematic universe.  However, the box office failure of the Tom Cruise-led reboot of The Mummy in 2017 forced the studio to rethink its plans altogether and to seek a different route to bring back Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, and all of the beloved horror icons. read more

‘Happy Death Day 2U’ Finishes Fifth at Weekend Box Office

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While many predicted a better showing for Happy Death Day 2U, the film ended up in fifth place at the weekend box office with roughly $10 million in ticket sales ($13.5 since it was released on Wednesday).  This total is $16 million less than the original film made in its opening 3-day weekend frame back in 2017.

Every movie studio ended up being disappointed this weekend, as it was the worst three-day President’s Day weekend for ticket sales since 2004.  Chief among the underachievers was Alita: Battle Angel, whose lofty expectations never materialized (in first place with $36.5 million since Thursday), falling victim to the same inflated tracking numbers that sank The Lego Movie 2 last week (which finished second at the box office with $21.2 million).  While the turnout for all films this weekend was low, there may need to be less emphasis put on tracking and social media awareness for upcoming films, as both measures have proven to be wildly inaccurate in 2019 and have so far created unrealistic expectations for new releases this year. read more

‘Halloween 2’ Gets a Writer

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For those of you left wondering about the fate of Michael Myers following David Gordon Green’s 2018 film Halloween, you can wonder no more…maybe. Collider has announced that their sources are reporting that Blumhouse has given Scott Teems a crack at writing the script for the follow-up to last years farce film which saw the old Mr. Myers seemingly trapped in a burning basement while the three generations of Strode girls escaped the home.

According to Collider, ” Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer and Andi Matichak are all expected to return along with producer Jason Blum, whose production company will produce the sequel alongside Miramax and Trancas International Films — with Universal expected to once again handle distribution.” read more

Universal Monsters to Return to the Silver Screen with Leigh Whannell, Blumhouse ‘The Invisible Man’ Film

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On May 8th, 2017, I stood up on my Horror News Network soapbox and declared that, “Universal Monsters Fans Deserve Their Very Own La La Land.” In my article, I recapped the various factors which made La La Land such a tremendous success, and dreamed of a world where the same level of respect and considerations were given to the classic Universal Monsters we all love so dearly:

“…the formula kind of makes sense, right? Find a young writer/director who is passionate about the history of film but has an eye for contemporary conventions, and- voila!- you have a movie that resonates with fans and critics alike! read more

Universal Shares ‘Halloween’ Deleted Scene

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Mere weeks before the home video release of the latest entry in the Halloween franchise, an early glimpse of one of the special features is now streaming on YouTube.

From Universal Home Entertainment’s YT channel, the deleted scene features Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall) and Dana Haines (Rhian Rees), the documentary filmmakers who are researching the masked killer Michael Myers, during a pretty solid faux scare.

Reprising her iconic role from the original 1978 film, Jamie Lee Curtis comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked killer who has haunted her since narrowly escaping the night he went on a killing spree forty years prior on Halloween night. read more

Blumhouse TV to Team with Amazon Studios

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Deadline is reporting that Amazon Studios has teamed with Blumhouse Television to release eight horror films which will all be connected thematically. The movies will be created by a variety of filmmakers and will be released through Amazon Prime Video.

Amazon’s, Jennifer Salke said: “Jason Blum has built an empire based on fear, shock and all things spinetingling. He has redefined the horror genre for fans who are hungry for high concept scares. Whether it’s found footage, a socially conscious terror comedy or a pure sinister adrenaline ride, he reinvented and infused the genre with cultural relevancy. We can’t wait to see the nightmares he brings direct to service for our Prime Video global audience.” read more

‘The Purge’ TV Series to Return for a Second Season

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Deadline is reporting that USA Network has renewed The Purge TV series for a second season. Based on the popular film franchise from Blumhouse, the series has been USA’s highest rated drama of the season, averaging 2.3 million viewers. Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, stated “The partnership and creative trust of Jason Blum and everyone at Blumhouse Television and Universal Pictures ensured The Purge’s successful transition from film to TV – and, along with Universal Cable Productions, we look forward to digging even deeper into the mythology in Season 2.” read more

Halloween Series Producer Talks Possible Television Series

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In 2016 Halloween series producer Malek Akkad’s company Trancas International Films was reported to be developing a television series based on the slasher films, and now Akkad said it is still in the works.

According to Akkad, the TV series has actually been in development for much longer than the early reports.

“You know, it’s something that we’ve had for a long time and I definitely want to see it done,” Akkad said. “When we started doing it… this was in development about a decade ago. At the time, I think the thought was we don’t want to cannibalize the theatrical. Let’s keep it as a theatrical event movie. If that starts flowing down, we would address TV. Nowadays, we all know, TV is pulling out ahead of theatrical in a way that surprised everybody, certainly me.” read more

Release Date Announced for ‘Happy Death Day 2U’

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Valentine’s Day will be very bloody in 2019 thanks to Universal and Blumhouse as Deadline is reporting that Happy Death Day 2U is set to premiere on February 14, 2019.

Back in May we reported that actors Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard would reprise their roles in the horror sequel with Christopher Landon returning to the director’s chair.

Happy Death Day was released on October 13, 2017 with a budget of just $4.6 million. The film received generally positive reviews and became known as the horror version of Groundhog Day. Happy Death Day was the ultimate “cherry on top” of 2017 for Blumhouse as it raked in $122.6 million at the box office. Previous hits in 2017 for Blumhouse included the award-winning Get Out and Split. read more

New Trailer for ‘Halloween’ has Arrived

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We’re just six weeks away from the release of Blumhouse’s new Halloween. Directed by David Gordon Green and written by him, Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride, Halloween is a direct sequel to the original 1978 John Carpenter classic. Disregarding all sequels, this latest Halloween takes place 40 years since the events of the 1978 film and finds a “Sarah Connor”-ish Laurie Strode preparing for an end-of-the-world-style showdown with her former attacker, and best-friend slayer, Michael Myers. read more