The second annual BlumFest kicked off today with stars of upcoming Blumhouse films and TV shows sharing news about their projects. The event started with a tribute to fans who share their favorite Blumhouse projects and an introduction by Jason Blum.
The landmark day will culminate with a livestream called BlumFest at Beyond Fest, where the company’s upcoming film Halloween Kills is screening for fans. You can watch a replay of the live stream below and read on for the announcements.
BLUMFEST 2021 ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE THING ABOUT PAM
The Thing About Pam executive producer and star Renée Zellweger spoke with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison for the first time about what fascinates her about the story, inhabiting characters based on real life, and why she loved Blumhouse films Get Out and Split.
“Whenever you can’t turn something off, or turn away from something, and when you keep coming back to it and discussing it over and over again, it must have some sort of relevance and I felt like there was a lot to examine here,” said Renée Zellweger about stepping into the role of Pam Hupp.
The limited series coming to NBC in 2022 marks two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger’s network television debut. Renée will be joined by a cast that includes Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Katy Mixon, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Glenn Fleshler, Suanne Spoke, and Mac Brandt.
NBC and Blumhouse Television’s The Thing About Pam is based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in her husband Russ’s conviction, although he insisted he didn’t kill her. His conviction was later overturned. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.
A thorough examination of the scheme was featured on several episodes of Dateline NBC, becoming one of the most popular topics to ever air on the hit NBC franchise. It also became the subject of a popular 2019 podcast, The Thing About Pam, which remains one of the most downloaded podcasts on iTunes.
The Thing About Pam will be executive produced by Renée Zellweger, Carmella Casinelli, Jenny Klein (Showrunner), Mary-Margaret Kunze, Scott Winant (Director of first 2 episodes), Jessika Borsiczky, Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold.
Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Big Picture Co. are producing.
HELP
Producers Tyler Perry (A Madea Family Funeral, A Fall from Grace, Acrimony) and Jason Blum (Split, The Purge franchise), announce their first collaboration, a feature film called Help.
Alan McElroy (Star Trek: Discovery, Wrong Turn) will write and direct Help, a new thriller film and the first major collaboration between Tyler Perry Studios and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions. The film is set to start production in Atlanta in 2022 at the Tyler Perry Studios. Tyler Perry and Jason Blum are producers on the film, along with Tim Palen under Perry and Palen’s Peachtree and Vine label.
UNTITLED JOHN LOGAN PROJECT
John Logan’s directorial debut for Blumhouse will stream exclusively on Peacock. The film also announced the casting of actors, including: Quei Tann, Austin Crute, Anna Lore, Monique Kim, Cooper Koch, Darwin del Fabro.
The newly-announced cast members join Theo Germaine, Kevin Bacon, Carrie Preston and Anna Chlumsky, who were already announced.
A HOUSE ON THE BAYOU & AMERICAN REFUGEE
Premium network EPIX and Blumhouse today announced the premiere dates for the first two films in their originals slate: A House on the Bayou will premiere on November 19, followed by American Refugee on December 10. The films will also be available for digital purchase from Paramount Home Entertainment, the same day as the EPIX premiere.
A House on the Bayou and American Refugee are part of the previously-announced slate, in which Jason Blum’s television company will develop and produce eight elevated, standalone horror/genre-thriller movies exclusively for EPIX. Blum will serve as executive producer. Building on the television company’s success with the Welcome to the Blumhouse movies slate for Amazon and Into the Dark anthology series for Hulu, the deal is the first-of-its-kind for EPIX, which is adding films to its growing slate of premium original content (most recently, it exclusively debuted the critically-acclaimed horror-thriller St Maud).
A House on the Bayou: In an effort to reconnect and mend their relationship, Jessica and John Chambers (Angela Sarafyan, Paul Schneider) seek an idyllic getaway with their daughter Anna (Lia McHugh) to a remote mansion in rural Louisiana. When suspiciously friendly neighbors show up for dinner uninvited, the weekend takes a sinister turn as the fragile family bond is tested and dark secrets come to light.
Cast: Paul Schneider (Tales from the Loop), Angela Sarafyan (Westworld), Lia McHugh (Eternals), Jacob Lofland (Maze Runner), Doug Van Liew (Ida Red) and Lauren Richards (Doom Patrol).
Executive Producers: Jason Blum, Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse, and Mary-Margaret Kunze.
American Refugee: Directed by Emmy award-winning multi-hyphenate Ali LeRoi (Everybody Hates Chris, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson) from a script by Allison & Nicolas Buckmelter, which was awarded the distinguished Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, an international screenwriting competition identifying talented new screenwriters.
American Refugee is about a family seeking shelter in a neighbor’s bunker, while the American economy is in collapse and the nation under martial law. There, they find the danger inside is potentially greater than the danger outside.
Cast: Erika Alexander (Get Out), Derek Luke (The Purge TV series), Sam Trammell (True Blood, The Fault in our Stars), Peyton Jackson (Nobody’s Fool), Zamani Wilder (Sacred Lies), Jessi Case (Mother’s Day), and Vince Mattis (Halloween).
Executive Producers: Jason Blum, Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse, and Lisa Bruce.
MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE
Donald Sutherland and Jaeden Martell have been cast in Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, written and directed by John Lee Hancock, based on the short story by Stephen King. Production begins this month — with Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy producing — and will be available on Netflix globally in 2022.
Sutherland will star in the title role of Mr. Harrigan. Martell, a rising star and tapped for Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood List in 2019, will star in the role of Craig.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is from the latest collection of novellas “If It Bleeds” from Stephen King, about a young boy Craig, living in a small town, who befriends an older, reclusive billionaire Mr. Harrigan. The two form a bond over books and an iPhone, but when the man passes away, the boy discovers that not everything dead is gone, and finds himself able to communicate with his friend from the grave through the iPhone that was buried with him.
The producers are Jason Blum, Ryan Murphy, Carla Hacken. The executive producers include Blumhouse Television’s Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold, and Scott Greenberg.
THE LAST DRIVE-IN WITH JOE BOB BRIGGS: JOE BOB’S HALLOWEEN HOEDOWN
The Shudder Original Halloween special Joe Bob’s Halloween Hoedown will premiere Friday, October 8 with special guests from the upcoming Halloween franchise installment, Halloween Kills: director David Gordon Green and producer/Blumhouse CEO and founder Jason Blum. Joe Bob’s Halloween Hoedown premieres live on the Shudder TV feed at 9pm ET/8c on October 8. Fans can also watch on demand on Shudder and within the Shudder offering in the AMC+ bundle on Sunday, October 10.
In what has become an annual tradition, iconic horror host and foremost drive-in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs returns with a special The Last Drive-In double feature just in time for Halloween. You’ll have to tune in to find out what movies Joe Bob has selected, but you can count on something scary and perfect for the season.
HALLOWEEN KILLS: RETURN TO HADDONFIELD
David Gordon Green introduced Halloween Kills: Return to Haddonfield, a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic characters returning to the fictional town of Haddonfield. The piece features interviews with Danny McBride, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Stephens.
Halloween Kills, the highly-anticipated film from Universal Pictures, Miramax, and Blumhouse, is set for release on Friday, October 15, 2021—wide, and will also premiere day-and-date with theatrical on Peacock.