Horror Man Gary Dauberman Signs First-Look Deal With Blumhouse Atomic (Exclusive)

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Gary Dauberman, who has had a hand in the making of some of the biggest horror franchises of the past decade, has signed a first-look producing deal with Blumhouse Atomic, the banner run by Jason Blum and James Wan.

Dauberman’s first-look deal will run through Coin Operated, the production company he founded in 2020, which is run by president Mia Maniscalco. The deal goes into effect next week.

“I’m thrilled to be working with these two powerhouses,” said Dauberman in a statement. “It’s been great to watch Jason make films that connect so viscerally with not just me, but fans all over the world. On top of that, I am thrilled to be reuniting with James, who has always been such a strong supporter and huge influence on my work. Together, Blumhouse Atomic brings a unique combination of collaboration, inventiveness and engagement to the creative process. Under their partnership, I couldn’t be more excited to continue our history and make more projects together.”

The first look grows from Dauberman and Blumhouse Atomic’s previous collaborations. In June, Dauberman was hired to pen the script for the third installment of Five Nights at Freddy’s, Blumhouse Atomic and Universal’s adaptation of the hit video-game horror series.

Dauberman also comes into the deal with a strong relationship with Wan, the filmmaker who originated The Conjuring Universe, which Dauberman became a key part of. Dauberman wrote Conjuring spinoffs Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, and The Nun; produced The Curse of La Llorona, the upcoming Revenge of La Llorona and The Nun 2; and made his directorial debut with Annabelle Comes Home, which he also wrote.

“Gary has been a close creative partner for more than a decade, and has been an essential part of some of our most popular franchises of all time. He has an instinct for what makes horror work, and he’s built Coin Operated into a home for exactly the kind of bold, fun, fan-driven stories we love,” said Wan. “Jason and I couldn’t be happier to welcome Gary and Mia to Blumhouse Atomic,”

Separately, Dauberman is also known for penning Warner Bros.’ 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved novel It, directed by Andy Muschietti. The New Line film broke box office records including biggest horror opening ever. Dauberman wrote and executive produced the film’s box office-smash sequel, It: Chapter Two.

Coin Operated is coming off a first-look deal with Sony, a partnership that yielded video game adaptation Until Dawn, which Dauberman wrote and produced, and Helldivers, which is in development with Justin Lin directing and for which he wrote early drafts.

Dauberman and Coin Operated are repped by WME, manager Kathleen Remington and Toczek Suddleson.