Jason Blum and his Blumhouse production company have been one of the most successful studios over the past decade, thanks to a very simple formula—low budget + high concept horror/thriller plot + good marketing = box office gold. And with the code cracked, Blumhouse has become a trailblazing production company that has applied that simple math to new franchises (“The Purge”) and revived classics (“Halloween” and “The Invisible Man”). Now, it appears that Blum’s company is in line to carve a new path in the post-pandemic era.
According to THR, it appears that Universal and Blumhouse are figuring out how the studio can work on a brand-new micro-budget horror film in a time when all of Hollywood is shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If possible, the unknown film would become one of the first major productions to begin since the virus spread all over the US in March and definitely one of the first films in Hollywood to begin again.
The report claims that the way Blumhouse will figure it out has a lot to do with the fact that the low-budget aspect of the film lends itself to creative shooting environments. The film would shoot entirely on the Universal film lot, cutting itself off from the variables that present themselves when films attempt to shoot in public locations and in other countries and states. Plus, the small budget aspect means that there can be even more concessions to the filming situation than on other bigger films, such as cutting out catering entirely.
The major hurdle that has prevented other studios from beginning production on films is the fact that no insurance company will cover the film if filming is halted due to a cast or crew member getting infected. But considering Blumhouse regularly uses much smaller casts and crews than other major film productions, this risk can be mitigated and might be worth it.
Of course, there’s the biggest issue facing Universal and Blumhouse. According to the report, no production will begin unless they get the greenlight from city, county, and public-health officials. This means that even if Blumhouse is willing to take the risk, the studio won’t do it unless the situation is a bit calmer in regards to the restrictions in Hollywood.
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But as those begin to relax, we could be seeing Jason Blum and his production company paving the way for how studios restart productions in the post-COVID-19 era.