Sleeper-hit horror flick Insidious will get a sequel and director James Wan returns for what will be titled Insidious Chapter 2. The first film’s leads, Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson, also return, as will actors Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins. Insidious screenwriter Leigh Whannell returns to screenwriting duties.
FilmDistrict plans to release the film on August 30, 2013 and production will begin in January. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions also handles ancillary aspects of the U.S. release and will also take care of international distribution.
Insidious pulled in almost $100 million worldwide, making it a highly profitable film considering its $1.5-million budget. Although it somewhat fell apart in its third act, it was a genuinely terrifying film that puts most modern-day “horror films” to shame. Hopefully this sequel recaptures and further builds upon its predecessor’s tension and doesn’t get ahead of itself like Paranormal Activity 2 did.
Check out the press release below.
Los Angeles November 19, 2012 – FilmDistrict, Alliance Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions announced today that they will bring INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2, the sequel to last year’s hit film INSIDIOUS which captivated horror movie fans worldwide, to U.S. theatres on August 30, 2013 via FilmDistrict. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, and Ty Simpkins will reprise their roles in the film which James Wan, who directed INSIDIOUS, will direct from a script written by Leigh Whannell who also wrote the first film. Jason Blum, who produced INSIDIOUS, is producing the low-budget sequel through his Blumhouse Productions. Brian Kavanaugh Jones, Oren Peli , Steven Schneider, and Charles Layton are executive producing. Production on the sequel is set to begin on January 15, 2013 in Los Angeles.
Peter Schlessel, FilmDistrict’s CEO, stated, “We are all very excited to see the next chapter of James and Leigh’s vision of the Further. It’s great to be in business again with Blumhouse, Alliance and Sony.”
“Blumhouse is committed to empowering filmmakers to tell their stories and we are excited to do that once again with the team from the first INSIDIOUS including James and Leigh and the original cast,” said Blum. “We also look forward to working with our partners on the first film- FilmDistrict, Alliance and Sony.”
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the U.S. rights to the film in conjunction with FilmDistrict. INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 is being financed by Alliance Films. FilmDistrict will distribute the film theatrically in the United States, with Sony handling the majority of ancillary rights in the U.S. Alliance Films will distribute in Canada, the UK (via its Momentum Pictures subsidiary) and Spain (via Aurum), and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions will distribute in all other international territories.
The first INSIDIOUS, starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, told the story of Josh and Renai Lambert and their son Dalton, confronting the demons that possess the young boy. The project was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and distributed by FilmDistrict. It was released on April 1, 2011, and has grossed $97 million worldwide. With the picture’s reported $1.5 million budget, it has led to the film being called the most profitable film of 2011.
Wan most recently directed THE CONJURING for Warner Bros. The film, which reunited him with INSIDIOUS star Patrick Wilson, will open on July 19. Wan is also set to direct a feature adaptation of the hit television series MACGYVER for Warner Bros.
Wilson and Byrne are represented by CAA. Byrne is also represented by RGM Artist Group. Shaye is represented by Don Buchwald & Assoc. / Fortitude. Simpkins is represented by ICM Partners. Wan and Whannell are represented by Paradigm and Stacey Testro International.
Blumhouse, which produced INSIDIOUS, has created a model of producing low-budget genre films for wide release and the company has produced five movies in the past two years that out grossed their budgets on opening weekend, most recently SINISTER and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4.
