Paramount Pictures’ new Paranormal Activity project is moving at a spirited clip.
Less than two weeks after it was revealed that the studio had partnered with Blumhouse-Atomic Monster on the horror reboot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned the project has now landed a director: rising Canadian filmmaker Ian Tuason.
The new Paranormal is a rebirth of the found-footage horror franchise first released in 2007. The seven movies have been huge moneymakers, thanks to having low-budgets; the original movie was famously made for only $15,000 (and then given a new sheen and a new ending by DreamWorks Pictures, then part of Paramount, for $200,000) and cited as one of the most profitable movies ever made. It also helped launch Blumhouse into the horror powerhouse it is today.
Paramount is on board as a partner to co-finance, co-produce and distribute the new chapter. Oren Peli, the filmmaker behind the 2007 film that grossed $194.2 million on a shoe-string budget, will also produce via his Solana Films. For the first time, James Wan will be involved with the movie series, coming in as a producer.
Steven Schneider will executive produce for Room 101, Inc., with Michael Clear and Judson Scott executive producing for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, with executive Alayna Glasthal overseeing for the company.
Tuason seems to be the kind of director for whom the franchise is tailor-made. The Toronto-based writer-director made live-action virtual reality horror shorts, which racked up millions of views on YouTube and even a showcase at SXSW.
He then made a splashy debut this summer when his feature Undertone premiered at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival, where it won the audience award for Canadian movie. Tuason found himself in the middle of a bidding war for his movie, with A24 coming out on top with a mid-seven figure deal.
Undertone’s subject is…paranormal activity. The story, inspired by some of Tuason’s own experiences, centers on a paranormal podcast co-host who must care for her ailing mother. When she mysteriously receives audio files regarding a couple’s possession, she falls into a rabbit hole of paranoia. Sound design is integral to the movie, and Tuason has described it as “found audio, not found footage.” The movie is now heading to the Sundance Film Festival next month.
Landing the gig is likely a dream come true for the filmmaker, as he has listed the original Paranormal as being number three on his list of movies that most creep him out. (The Exorcist and The Blair Witch Project are numbers one and two, respectively.)
Tuason is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ziffren Brittenham.
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