Amazon signs eight-film deal with Blumhouse
Amazon Studios said Wednesday that horror film maker Jason Blum’s television company will produce eight thriller or darkly themed movies for the streaming platform, its first global direct-to-consumer deal for movies.
Blum is the latest highprofile filmmaker to partner with Amazon, which has been courting A-list talent to expand its roster of movies and TV shows and better compete with Netflix.
The company recently signed a TV series deal with filmmaker Jordan Peele, who won an Oscar for best original screenplay for the critically acclaimed film “Get Out.”
The pact with Blumhouse Television will involve diverse and underrepresented filmmakers and distribute the projects to more than 200 territories worldwide through Amazon Prime Video. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, has moved aggressively to entice top talent to Amazon since she joined the company in February. The former president of NBC Entertainment replaced Roy Price after he was accused of sexual harassment.
Blum “has redefined the horror genre for fans who are hungry for high-concept scares,” Salke said in a statement. “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.”
Blumhouse Television was founded in 2017. Its past projects include HBO’s “The Normal Heart” and limited series “Sharp Objects.”
Blum called the Amazon deal “a great opportunity for Blumhouse Television to empower underrepresented filmmakers offering a fresh take on the dark genres loved by fans the world over.”
The announcement comes after the “Halloween” producer was criticized for remarks he made in October addressing why L.A.-based Blumhouse Productions, a sister company to Blumhouse Television, has yet to have a female director behind one of its theatrically released horror films.
“There are not a lot of female directors period, and even less who are inclined to do horror,” he told video game website Polygon. Blum later called his comments “a stupid mistake.”
While Netflix is still outpacing the competition — spending as much as $13 billion on content this year — Amazon Studios is also ramping up. The studio is embarking on a multi-season TV adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” expected to be its largest undertaking to date.
Last year, Amazon Studios began moving into a new home at the historic Culver Studios in Culver City, where it will lease production and administrative facilities.